Intrigue
by aliceeeebeth
Summary: A Peter/ Gwen fanfic. I don't know where this is going but I had all the feels and I had to get them out somehow. Will probably end up being smutty. Let's face it. (NB: CHAPTER 10 HAS MATURE CONTENT)
1. Chapter 1

She doesn't know why she spoke to him that day, of all days. It had been a normal day in late February, and it was the first day they had a conversation. Peter Parker was notorious for sticking up for the freshmen when Flash started his usual bullying, and he was well-known amongst the clubs (of which she was a part of many, and the President in most) for his photos, the school always choosing to "hire" him rather than a professional, and he'd been in her classes for the entire year, and god knows she'd been forced to stop Flash from doing something stupid countless times... in the end, it didn't matter why she turned around and engaged in conversation with the maybe-concussed teen, just that she did.

And something about him had intrigued her. Gwen didn't know if it was the spark in his eyes as he realised she was talking to him, or the faint hint of a smile as she laughed at him, or... something. Whatever it was, it seemed that fate was going their way. He could claim (and did still claim) that he wasn't at Oscorp because of her (not even a little bit, and he smirked at her every time she brought it up since then), but whatever his reasoning for being there... he was there. And they got another conversation and when he wasn't concussed he was a lot more coherent and a lot more adorable.

_"Second? Are you sure about that?"_

_"I work here. I don't work here." _

_"I snuck in because I... love science." _

The intrigue only increased. She hadn't particularly noticed Peter Parker before that week, but suddenly he was everywhere. In every class they were constantly catching each other's eyes, he was turning up at her internship, he was in her thoughts all the time... Every conversation they had was short and sweet but it all seemed to be building up to something - his smashing of the basketball hoop, him having her as his desktop background (which was kinda creepy, but the way he tried to excuse it just made it adorable)... He was so easy to trip up and to be perfectly honest it was just flattering.

_"So you wanna, uh... I don't know we could... or we could do something else..."_

Those words flitted around her head like birds all evening. It was a promise of something. Not quite set in stone, but undeniable and just... cute.

But then his uncle died. And it was horrific and she wanted to say all the right things to him but the words would never come. Suddenly Peter Parker's face was constantly haunted, the faint smile that was always ghosting his face gone... probably with no hope of return.

Gwen didn't even know what the right thing to say was, seeing as she'd never lost anyone like that. Her grandparents were all still alive, her aunts and uncles, though living several hours away, were still at the other end of the phone should she need them, and her brothers were still as annoying as ever, and her mother still there, and her father... sure, she worried about him near-enough constantly, but he was home most evenings to make her hot cocoa. Just the way she liked it.

So how could she possibly empathise with the guy? The guy who lost both his parents when he was just a kid (yes, she'd looked his file on the school enrolment system up - curiosity got the better of her), and had grown up with his aunt and uncle who had became pretty much his mom and dad, and now he'd lost his uncle? It was impossible to even think about that happening without wanting to cry.

But in the end she didn't even have to say anything. Flash had decided that it was about time to offer his condolences, and Peter had responded with a strength that was... remarkable. Gwen, logically, supposed that he had taken to "pumping some iron" to try and deal with his grief... and then when it came down to it, a simple "Peter?" was enough.

And they were hugging, and he was clutching to her like she was the only good thing in his life. Which she probably was. But the moment was shortlived, as he wandered off without so much a goodbye, leaving her feeling crappy for him, but knowing that how she felt was nothing compared to what he was actually feeling.

Days passed, and with each passing hour the desire to talk to him, to try and help in some way, got stronger. It was killing her, that she couldn't fix this like she fixed all the other things in her life. Everyone who had a problem went to Gwen because she was logical and she got stuff done. But not this thing. Not until, with a small smirk on her face, she practically skipped over to him, before realising that was inappropriate around a grieving person and she became solemn. And then the solemnity wasn't a ruse when she saw the obvious black eye.

_Please let Peter not have got involved in some sort of gang, _she prayed (though she didn't know to whom, seeing as Science kinda made it hard to believe in a God). That would explain the extra strength, the stand-offishness that he'd been showing... _Fuck._

And she knew that her parents would assume he was her boyfriend (even though she had no clue what they were, if they were even friends), she couldn't help herself from doing a bit of charity. So she invited him for dinner.

_"So, mom... is it alright if you set another place at the table for tonight?" _Gwen played with her sleeves, staring down at the floor as she felt the slight blush creep across her cheeks.

_"Of course, who's coming over? Mary-jane?" _How much easier it would be if this was just one of her girlfriends. How much easier life would be if Peter Parker hadn't swung into it, leaving her constantly thinking about him.

_"No, um... it's Peter." _All eyes were suddenly on her and the slight blush turned into a full on redness. Damnit, why couldn't she stay cool?_ "I know what you think, but he's not my boyfriend. His uncle died recently and he just needs a friend. So don't say a word and don't make it horribly awkward because he is just my friend and I'm allowed to have friends over for dinner, aren't I?" _She let out all her breath in a big sigh as she finished her mini-rant, before turning on her heel and heading back to her room.

Everything about that meal was horrible, so when Gwen looked back she purposely skipped all of it until the after bit. Standing outside, the New York air brisk and Peter... fucking Peter Parker. The conversation was completely irrelevant, until the _"I've been bitten" _and then the walking away and the web pulling her back and the kiss.

Man, even looking back Gwen still couldn't be coherent. At the time she'd been so swept up in the kiss that she didn't even register that PETER PARKER WAS SPIDERMAN because her brain was thinking PETER PARKER IS KISSING ME.

_"Oh, I'm in trouble."_

The rest of the week can only be described in snapshots. Images that fly through her mind when she tries to write it down, or form some kind of normal thought about it. Making out on the bleachers, tending to his wounds after the lizard hurt him, explaining to him about her father and why it made it so hard to be with him, swinging through the city, being thrown out the window at school, him relying on her to save the city...

losing her father.


	2. Chapter 2

There was a tiny part of her that felt guilty she was making him feel how she had felt all those weeks ago. She was trying to force him to say the right thing, to say the thing that would make her feel better. She was standing on his doorstep, trying to get him to talk to her. Even if he said some stupid thing, it would be better than him avoiding her, which he had been doing. He barely turned up for the classes they shared anymore, and when he did he sat as far away from her as possible, slouched in his seat and staring out the window as if he wasn't even in school.

And it hurt. Out of all the people, ever, he would understand what she was going through. Her father died at the hands of something he had created, and she had helped the whole thing end up how it did, and so they were both guilty and they both needed each other.

Or at least she needed him. _"My father died. And he was with you." _She talked about the funeral, and tears sprung to her eyes, and she hoped he felt shitty. And when he lifted his hand to wipe away a stray tear, she half stepped forward, thinking that they were going to have each other again. That he would kiss her and he wouldn't tell her everything was going to be okay, because he didn't know that (nobody did). But he would murmur incoherent things into her hair while holding her close, and that would be enough to allow her to start to heal.

But then the walls were up again. And he kept repeating _"I can't do this," _as if that somehow explained everything.

And it was only when she was standing in the downpour, the rain hitting her umbrella, that it hit her. He wasn't saying that he didn't want to see her anymore. He wasn't saying that he didn't have feelings for her anymore... _"He made you promise, didn't he?"_

His silence told her everything she needed to know.

That night, she was staring at her computer, as if by sheer power of will her essay would be magically written. That somehow, if she made herself sit there, her brain would stop thinking about Peter (about how he shouldn't be listening to her father, about he's fucking Spider-man who never listened to anyone but himself and now he's following orders from a dead man? That just didn't make sense), about her dad (about how she knows she shouldn't because you should never think ill of the dead, but she hates him in that second. She loathes how controlling he is and how he's made this all so much worse for her and she knows he meant well, but it was selfish to force her to live the life he wanted her to), about the lizard that, while she's still alive, might as well have killed her when it got a chance because it ruined everything she held dear.

And then she hears it.

The sound that she'd heard several times before. The sound that usually gave her such joy because it meant the arrival of her own personal sunshine. The boy who always managed to cheer her up without even bothering to try.

But now he's her own personal raincloud, who seems determined to make her hurt even more than she already was. And that's why she ignores him. She doesn't look up, though she knows he's there. She doesn't smile or turn away or anything. She just pretends like she has no clue. That's what he wants, presumably. To survey her but not be surveyed. To stare at her but not be stared at.

Eventually it gets too late for her, and she has school the next day, so she shuts her laptop, leaving the document empty. And the second she steps up to shut her blinds, there's a whoosh and he's gone in a blur of red and blue.

And she's alone again.

...

He turns up every evening at 8pm, on the dot. Even if he's just there for a minute before he swings off to where he's "needed," he's there. Watching her, making sure she's alright. She doesn't look at him, doesn't acknowledge that she knows he's there, but by the way she's not even trying to talk to him at school, acting like they were months ago, he knows she knows.

It's killing him, she has to know that. He could barely get the words out when she came to his front door, could barely stand to watch her walk away, or to watch her cry. The worst part is that he could make it go away. She'd grieve her dad but she'd have him by her side, just like she was by his side when he was grieving Uncle Ben.

But it has to be done, he promised her father. He tries so hard to be a good person, to do what's "right," and breaking promises is never right. Never ever. Especially when it's a promise made to a guy who's now dead, a guy who died trying to help you. Because he didn't have to do it.

Late at night, after leaving Gwen's or leaving the crime scene, he wonders the thought process behind Captain Stacy's decision. There was the decision to let him stop Dr Connors (he refuses to think of him as the lizard, even though he knows that he had no control over it), which was presumably for the good of the city. A part of him obviously knew that the only way to stop a superhuman was to send another superhuman after it. Then there was the decision to help him. They could probably have stopped Dr Connors at that point, so why didn't the Captain just let Peter die? Sometimes Peter thinks that it was so that he could ruin Spider-man at a later date, either by arresting him or outing him, or whatever. Other times Peter thinks that it was done because the Captain knew just how strongly Gwen felt for him.

But if the latter was the case, then why make him promise to stay away from her?

She's not doing well, Gwen. Every time he sees her she's scribbling furiously in her notebook at school, or staring at a blank computer screen at home. The culmination of losing both Peter and her dad is starting to mess up her future, and Peter can't stand that.

He knows that he's making it harder for her to move on when he's visiting her every night, but all those feelings are still there and he's not strong enough to fight them completely. He chuckles without humour when he thinks that. He's strong enough to take on and win against a 10 foot lizard, but not strong enough against the powers of a teenage girl with the blondest hair you'd ever see and the biggest eyes and the most perfect legs...

He's strong but weak. He's just the biggest oxymoron there ever was.

...

He's been visiting her every night for a week when she's not there at 8pm. She went out for a meal with her family (though they're not much of a family without Dad), and she didn't want to go back to her room to figure out that she missed him. Just his presence sooths her, makes her forget about everything for a little bit and focus on how it felt to be in his arms, soaring across the skyline.

But then he leaves and she's so angry because why does he get to leave? Why does he get to change her life completely and then leave? He gets to swing and sort everybody else's problems out but he never stays to sort out hers.

So on this night, she refuses to go back to her room on principle. Determined to be strong, and not rely on him one little bit. He made his decision (or rather, he let it be made for him) but that doesn't mean he gets to half go back on it.

It's near enough midnight when her Mom sends her to bed, saying it's late because she has school in the morning, and she succumbs to the desire to sleep. She stumbles into her room, and to her window to shut her blinds, and...

... he's there. Staring at her with his mouth open and eyes wide and it's the first time they've looked at each other in the time of this weird arrangement. _"I- I'm sorry." _She gasps out, dropping the blinds down and falling into her bed, sleep not on the horizon.

It's only the next morning that she realises that she had nothing to apologise for, and that's why she storms up to him in class.

_"Are you ever going to stop being such a dick?" _It comes out very matter of factly, of which she's glad. Conversations with him would be impossible if she showed the emotion that was constantly causing her pain. He doesn't reply, so she sighs and turns away.

That night, instead of sitting at her computer, she sits on her bed. Staring at the window and waiting.

8pm passes. She wonders if maybe he's in trouble, but that's never stopped him before.

9pm passes and she thinks he's definitely in some sort of danger.

10pm passes and she hasn't heard any more police sirens than the usual night.

11pm passes and she makes herself cocoa, scalding herself on it in her hurry to get back to her room.

The hands turn to midnight.

He's not coming.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, after a night of fitful sleep (she kept waking due to the fact that she left her window wide open, which not only made her room near freezing, but also it was about five times louder than a usual night - but she figured that if he arrived, she'd hear him and be able to sleep), she frets. There were few things that Peter Parker was reliable about, few things that she could trust him to turn up for, but (stupidly, obviously) Gwen had assumed that their 8pm meetings were set in stone.

So she's poring over every newspaper article, every Breakfast News broadcast, every blog post on the internet about him, hoping to figure out why he never showed. And then she hates herself because he made it clear that they were finished, and he was obviously just making sure she didn't kill herself in the aftermath of their break-up.

That time had seemingly passed and now she could officially move on. Return her focus to her school work. Because Peter Parker had made the decision that she was safe and was going to carry on being the superhero he was _supposed _to be.

But then everything blew up. Not literally, but the newsites started crashing at the amount of hits they were getting, the TV shows were being interrupted by a breaking news story._**IS THIS THE END FOR SPIDERMAN?**_ everything screamed. And Gwen's heart was in her throat. And her computer wasn't loading properly and her brother's chose that exact moment to switch to their children's shows and _"FUCK!"_ she muttered under her breath, earning evil eyes from her mother.

Without thinking properly, without even giving herself a chance to read the article, Gwen flipped out her phone and rung him. Straight to voicemail. Another expletive fell out of her mouth.

_The elusive and mysterious Spider-man appears to have met his untimely end. A struggle with the police on Williamsburg Bridge last night, which you may remember as the location of his first high profile act, culminated in the red-and-blue-suited man falling into the water. Though usually we would assume the so-called "superhero" had swung himself to safety, scientist's have calculated that the likelihood of surviving such a fall, especially considering the flying bullets, is very low._

_We'll keep you updated on any sightings and as a result, would suggest that Williamsburg Bridge is avoided. If Spider-man's previous entanglements are to be remembered, it's likely that he'll find his second victim when he surfaces, the first being Captain Stacey, a member of the police force who the "superhero" had a vendetta against._

Gwen didn't hesitate in grabbing her bag and running out the door. She vaguely remembered that she had a full day of classes, but she found herself not caring. Peter was more important. Peter was always more important.

...

Although somewhat groggily, Peter found himself conscious, though mostly submerged in water. Taking note of his surroundings, he assumed that his wounded self had been sensible and used his last thread to tie himself to a pillar below the bridge, though mostly hidden from any policemen who came after him.

He didn't know what had happened, what made last night so dangerous and different from any other evening. He'd been swinging over to Gwen's (though he was having a serious crisis of conscience on the way, considering that she thought he was being a complete dick about the whole thing), when a hand wrapped around his ankle. Try as he might, he just couldn't get free. Looking back, it was probably just an overeager fan. But, during the struggle, the person had fallen out of the window that they'd been leaning out of, and started falling to the ground.

Though Peter managed to secure him to some railing before the fall could do much damage, the subsequent yells had alerted everyone to Spider-man's presence. And, seeing as the police were still considering him the murderer of Captain Stacey, rather than the 30-foot lizard that had terrorized the city that night, it took no time at all for all police units to be after him in some form or another.

And, when the chase got too much and the police gave up all hope on catching him the humane way, the serious guns had been brought out. Though usually, Peter managed to avoid getting hit (he'd practised a lot in the past month at keeping stealth), right at the crucial moment - Gwen flickered into his mind. It wasn't surprising, if he remembered that the reason the police hated him was because he'd killed her father, but it was enough to make him lose his balance.

Something about Gwen turned him into that gawky, awkward, mess that he'd been before he got bitten by that damn spider. And, when you're being shot at by a million guns, awkward and messy are not two things you want to be.

He'd been shot. Multiple times. And, although his healing process occurred much faster than normal humans, the river was so dirt filled and grimy that healing would be near impossible. He wouldn't have even ended up in the river had it not been for his visits to Gwen. The visits that, while he got a sense of satisfaction out of them, out of knowing that she was alive and seemed to be slowly healing, were incredibly dull. Especially the night when she hadn't turned up until gone midnight. He'd waited for her, not really sure what he was expecting to happen.

And while he'd been waiting, he played around with his web. Which had obviously been a stupid mistake as when it came down to it, he ran out of sufficient web to stop his plummeting into the river. The fucking freezing river.

All this thought and remembering had taken its toll on Peter, and now he was tired. Perhaps he could just stay here for a while... eventually he'd heal... maybe...

He closed his eyes and that was the last thing he remembered.

...

It was almost ironic, the way things had worked out. After all, hadn't this been the exact place that Peter had brought Gwen the night before everything fell apart?

_"This is disgusting, Peter. And not romantic at all." _She'd complained, the stench of the dingy river filling her nostrils. _"I mean, I get that you've just been in a fight, but I didn't realise that you suffered a major blow to the head..." _But Peter just kept smirking. His mask had just been removed, but something about being in that suit made him... different. Completely different, but still with that spark in his eye that made him very, very Peter Parker.

_"Just wait. You'll get used to the smell, and, well... it's good for hiding. I don't know, I just thought you preferred me in the suit." _He grabbed her hand and carried on helping her navigate the various crevices in the stonework. Maybe it wasn't the best place to bring the girl you were in love with, but he'd found himself here several times. And yes, sure, the lizard attack had happened just above them, but it was secluded. And not quiet, exactly, but quiet enough for a date.

_"Oh, I definitely prefer you in the suit. Your usual Peter Parker clothes could never compare." _She quipped back, smiling at him.

He found the spot he was looking for, a smallish hole, perfect for two people to sit in and just watch. And they'd managed to get to it without ruining her clothes, something that wouldn't go unnoticed by her father. So as far as Peter was concerned, this had been a success.

And, as Gwen watched him, realising that she had in fact seen him shirtless and now she was getting to make out with him without worrying about being interrupted, she supposed that it wasn't a complete failure of an evening.

But back to the present. Where Peter was hidden somewhere around here... if only she could find him. _"Peter?" _She called hesitantly, not sure if there was some hidden spy, determined to uncover his secret identity. The response was a gargled moan, and Gwen's heart skipped a beat. By the sounds of it, this wasn't going to be pretty.

_"Gwen, I have to tell you something." _Looking back to their "date night," and Gwen remembered how nervous she had been once he'd told her that. Because the last time those words came out of his mouth, it ended with the kiss to end all kisses and the Spider-man confession. So instead of revealing how nervous she was by speaking and having her voice shake, she just nodded, signalling for him to carry on with his train of thought.

_"You know last night, when I said that I'd been bitten, and you thought I meant in a really cheesy way, like... yeah?" _A blush creeped up Gwen's cheeks as she remembered how foolish she had felt for that moment afterwards. Because as much as she hated herself for being so rom-com-y, she'd meant it and she thought that Peter was being weird because he didn't have any feelings for her whatsoever. _"I didn't mean it in the way that you meant it, then, but I did mean it... then. Does that make sense?" _He chuckled at himself because he just sounded so stupid, and it was like he was speaking a different language when it came to Gwen, who was usually so eloquent. _"I've had a crush on you forever, basically. And now you're here... and this-" _he paused his sentence to press his lips to hers, to which she eagerly responded _"-is happening, and it scares me."_

The blonde didn't know how to reply to that, so instead she didn't. She just smiled a little and carried on kissing him.

...

Somehow she managed to detach Peter from the pillar. Somehow she managed to pull him out of the water. Somehow she managed to keep him alive while she dragged him up to dry land. Somehow she managed to find a not-completely-disgusting alleyway to clean him up in, to wait with him, to murmur soothingly as he slowly healed. Somehow she managed to support him as they stumbled back to her home, where she had pressed a cold compress to his head that first time.

Somehow she managed to fall asleep with him on her bed.

Somehow she managed to sleep through him leaving.

Somehow she managed to not cry when she woke up alone.


	4. Chapter 4

Peter was hit by more guilt as he finally made his way home at a ridiculous hour. He didn't know how long Gwen had taken to find him, assuming that she'd started from whenever the story broke (not strictly true, as Gwen's Jimminy Cricket had appeared and sent her off to school - but it couldn't stop her from missing debate club to search), or how long it had taken for the gun wounds to heal enough for him to stand, or how long they had lain on her bed until she fell asleep - not that he wanted their conversation to end.

_"I worried about you last night, you know." _She murmured as she watched him from her desk chair. He'd assumed that she would play doctor with him, but that didn't happen. She gave him a mini inspection and then distanced herself from him... just staring at him with those big eyes - eyes that would usually betray her deepest darkest feelings but tonight were doing none of that. Tonight her eyes showed no emotion, only that she was guarded. _"When you didn't come, I thought something must've gone wrong." _A smile played on her lips, but there was no joy or humour in it. _"Maybe I'm the one who has Spider senses." _

Peter didn't even know what to say. He was used to feeling speechless around her, to feel like a bumbling buffoon - even though it had been a while since they'd had a conversation that didn't revolve around her father's death - because of her perfection, but this was different. It wasn't that he couldn't say anything without stammering or stuttering, it was that there was literally nothing to say. I'm sorry seemed insignificant, okay wasn't enough, and even a long explanation about how he still loved her and he sat on her fire escape every evening because of that... it could never bridge the gap that was between them now.

_"What even happened? You're usually so careful..." _Those big eyes were intoxicating. Even when she was giving him a conversation topic, he struggled to formulate sentences. Besides, to admit that he nearly got killed because of her would ruin any hope of a civil conversation, what with her feeling guilty.

_"Okay, I get it." _She sighed, hands slapping her thighs as she stood up. _"But... Peter, I was - the feelings I had for you... they aren't just going to disappear. And I told you this. I'm constantly scared that something bad is gonna happen to you, even though you're not my boyfriend." _Peter let the wave of guilt pass before he did what he did next, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to lie on her bed.

_"You're cold."_ He muttered into her hair as some form of explanation. He just assumed, and even if she wasn't cold, he was lying half naked so he could pretend that he was. Though she froze, after a moment her body curled around his, careful not to touch any of his wounds, and relaxed.

_"The feelings haven't disappeared for me, either." _His voice was barely above a whisper; he supposed that he didn't want her to hear.

But she did hear, and she held onto him a little tighter. The light was turned off, and words were spoken into the darkness... words that neither of them wanted to say but words that both of them knew they would have to. Words that deserved to be shown the light of day, but words that would never. Not if he was supposed to keep his promise to the captain.

...

_"You shouldn't be here." _Peter vaguely recognised the voice, but that wasn't enough to stop him from being on red alert. The sun was coming up through the buildings, and Spiderman was standing over the grave of the man he had supposedly killed. Though he hadn't been the one to deliver those wounds, he had been the one who'd forced Captain Stacy to be in that place at that time... so maybe he was the murderer.

Turning around slowly, Peter was faced with a set of very familiar eyes, but a less-so familiar face. _"I said... you shouldn't be here." _Gwen's mother removed a gun from her handbag and aimed it right at Peter's chest.

_"You murdered my husband, and now you're looking for reconciliation? Is that what this is? You hope for some sign from God that you didn't do the worst thing in the world?" _He had to admire her strength, because not once did her voice falter. I guess there was no surprise that Gwen was the way she was. _"Well it's not going to happen. I cannot understand why my daughter is so obsessed with you."_

_"There was a giant lizard terrorizing the city and you think that _I _was the one who killed your husband?" _Spiderman was being stupid, and cocky, and if we didn't do some damage control from that statement he would end up with yet another bullet in him. But there were some things that needed to be said, and now seemed like it would be the only opportunity. _"Your husband offered to help me. I told him to stay behind and yet he followed me because he knew that I needed him. He died saving the city - not from me, but from the actual monster there. Hurting me won't bring him back." _He almost forgot to keep his voice deep, which would have revealed that the "superhero" was in fact just a teenage boy, due to the memory that was hitting him. He had to watch as Captain Stacy died, and now everyone thought that he would have chosen that route? That just wasn't acceptable. _"I can't keep living my life in fear of being shot by people like you who don't know the real truth. You said that my sign wouldn't happen? Well it just did." _

And then he was gone, leaving Mrs Stacy with tears running down her cheeks.

...

Gwen was trying to focus her thoughts on her class, though her notes were significantly less detailed than they should've been. She couldn't help but notice the empty seat that existed in a usually full class, especially not when it was directly behind her. She couldn't help but remember how crappy she had felt getting ready for school, wondering if last night had really happened, if those words had really been spoken or if had actually been there with her. She couldn't help but wish that he was back to being that cute guy with the emotional baggage, the guy who she knew something would eventually happen with...

But think of the devil and he doth appear, and Peter Parker strutted in with a smirk on his face. Why, she had no clue. 

_"Don't make promises you can't keep, Mr Parker." _

_"Yeah, but those are the best kind."_

**A/N: A bit of a tiny chapter this time, sorry. I just think that it had to finish there. To be continued, my lovelies. **


	5. Chapter 5

_"Peter!"_ As soon as the bell went, Peter Parker was already half way to the door. Gwen knew that she had no chance of catching up to him, and yet she still tried, yelling his name through the crowd of students ambling to their next class as a sloth's pace. _"Peter!"_ She tried again, barely able to see his tufty brown hair. But she knew his timetable off by heart - in fact, she'd thought of herself as a good girlfriend when she memorised it (thinking he would probably be missing a lot of school due to his crimefighter injuries and therefore she could go collect his homework and do any necessary damage control) - so she knew the general direction in which he was headed.

Eventually the population of the hallway decreased enough for Gwen to see that Peter was in fact not heading to his next class, and was instead walking through the fire exit doors right beside it. If she yelled for him now, she'd get him into trouble because all the members of staff were well known for being on his case about attendance these past few weeks, but if she didn't yell, and he walked outside... then he could go anywhere.

_"Spiderman!" _She called, instead, knowing that his head would whip round to face her, giving her an extra few seconds to catch up. What she didn't anticipate, foolishly, was that a million faces would appear in various doorframes, wondering why the most frequently written about person would be here - after all, the last time he appeared here it had ended up with half of the labs being trashed.

But Gwen carried on surging forward, not caring if people thought her strange. Not caring about anything, except the coward that was staring at her. The coward that kept doing things and saying things without the intelligence to see what they were doing to her.

_"I can't wait anymore. I meant everything I said last night, and you were just - you were just gone this morning. Not even a goodbye. Not even a note!" _She hissed out the words, knowing that if he rejected her she'd have to face a million pitiful glances. At least if they couldn't hear what she was saying she could save a bit of face. _"Then you go and say that? In the middle of class? And you were just gonna walk out of school without thinking of me. Without even caring how you make me feel?" _

_"Shut up." _And then he was kissing her. Just like their first time, when anything was possible and there was nobody telling them they shouldn't, just their chemistry screaming that they should. Just like their first time, when Peter had made the biggest confession of his life but neither of them knew what it meant.

Except it was kind of nothing like that. Because this time they had an audience of everyone that was in their classroom at that time (which was pretty much their entire year), they had weeks of hurt and pain and grief between them, and Gwen was still angry, and Peter was still a little broken. But what did it matter? Her lips were on his, her hands on his body, and more importantly, he was clutching at her like she was his only life support.

Gwen didn't know if this was a onetime thing. If it was just a way to relieve the tension that had been between them - the tangible tension that filled up every room where they both were, or if it was just a way to get her to stop shouting at him in the school hallway, or if it was his way to get out all his feelings without ever having to say the words. But if it _was_ a onetime thing, she wanted to make the most of it. And so she deepened the kiss appropriately, arms wrapping around his neck and mouth opening to let his tongue slip inside. Peter was having the same thoughts as she, obviously, as his hands moved from a safe place (around her waist) to dip lower until they were cupping her ass.

_"Peter Parker, don't you have a class to get to?" _Their embrace was forced to end at the sound of a very angry teacher who was standing way too close. Gwen made a snap decision, knowing that she could possibly focus on Trigonometry after the events of the past five minutes. So she grabbed Peter's hand and pulled him towards the fire exit, not stopping her efforts until he understood what she was planning. Or, not planning as the case may be.

She giggled as they ran away from the school, inhaling the fresh air and just enjoying how it felt to have Peter's hand in hers once more. He wouldn't have followed her if he wasn't at least tempted to break his promise to her father, that much was clear.

_"Gwen, wait." _Peter wasn't following anymore.

In fact, he was standing a still as a statue, his lips parted as if there were words ready to fall out of them. One look at his eyes told Gwen that they weren't words she wanted to hear. _"No. You can't kiss me like that and not mean it. You can't keep switching between the Peter Parker I fell for and the Peter Parker that thinks it's his job to look after every damn person in New York!" _So she refused to listen, getting her words and her feelings in first.

Because her whole life, she'd been anything but selfish. She'd worked hard at school to make her father proud. She'd looked after her brothers, even when all she really wanted was to be out with her friends. She was the one who held her mother when she broke down in tears. She was the one who accepted that Peter Parker wanted to keep this promise, and so she swore to keep her distance. It's not her fault that he just appears everywhere, and it's certainly not her fault that he kissed her like that.

_"I was actually gonna suggest that you go back to school." _He mumbled, eyes to the ground. _"I don't want you getting in trouble."_

Gwen blushed to her roots. There she was, assuming that Peter was being a jerk, that he was being cowardly... when he wasn't. _"Then why did you run from the classroom after you said... that?" _

_"There was a... a police... thing. I- Spiderman was going to check it out." _He was still staring at his feet, as if they were the most fascinating thing on the planet. Gwen mentally kicked herself, knowing that the memory of this conversation was going to haunt her forever. _"It's too late now. Let's just go back to class. I just... Gwen, I still lo-like you. A lot. But I made a promise to your father and I would hate myself forever if anything happened to you." _

In response to that the blonde shrugged, knowing that Peter was just too stubborn to argue with. At least right now. So she raised her shoulders, took his hand in hers again and headed back to school, ready to face the stares and the consequences of her outburst of 10 minutes ago.

...

_"So you and Peter Parker, huh?" _Gwen rolled her eyes as she heard the familiar voice over her shoulder.

_"Harry. Why is it that the one day you're actually at school is the day that I do something rebellious?" _She smirked, but still didn't turn around, instead choosing to keep her focus on her textbook. Maths was one of the few classes that wasn't haunted by Peter, so she'd rather her thoughts be elsewhere.

_"You can't blame me for being curious, Stacy. I mean - you guys were dating, and then you weren't, and now you are again? How's a guy like me supposed to get a shot at you?" _Harry Osborn had been a long standing feature of Gwen's school life. They'd had most classes together since first grade, but recently (as in, whenever puberty hit), Harry decided that Gwen was too studious for him and got in with the wrong crowd. He was constantly in and out of rehab for various drug overdoses, and was living under a constant cloud of his father's disappointment.

_"Just leave it, Osborn." _She emphasized his last name, knowing that this conversation had the potential to become messy fast if she wasn't clear._ "You're not my type."_

_"You're breaking my heart, girl. Anyway, I had something important to tell you." _That peaked Gwen's curiosity. It wasn't often that Harry would share stuff with her - not anymore, at least. _"Now you're interested? Jeez, if I knew it was that easy..."_

_"Just get on with it, Harry." _Exasperated, Gwen turned to face the annoying boy. He was devilishly handsome, that had to be said. He constantly had some girl on his arm, usually a different one to the time she saw him before. Today's attachment was Mary-jane Watson, notorious for sleeping with guys after knowing them for about 5 milliseconds.

_"You know my Dad's been in contact with Oscorp again, right?" _She did know that, having been in charge of writing the covering letters for all the mysterious research. After all, Osborn Industries had very publicly disowned Oscorp Labs a few years back. _"Well I finally found out what's going on. He's trying to take that loser Spider-man down!" _The last sentence was whispered, Harry's face far too close to Gwen's. But if the intention was to shock and scare her, it worked. _"Apparently the idiot messed with some big deal between Dr Connors and my dad and now they're trying to use whatever made Spider-man the freak he is against him! Isn't that cool?" _

Before Gwen could make it clear that that was not cool, not cool at all, the bell went and Harry scrambled off to have his break-time dosage of heroin, or whatever drug was coursing through his veins at that moment.

...

_"Peter, it's me. I need to see you, can you come over?"_

_"Peter, it's Gwen. Again. I have something really important to tell you."_

_"Peter, I get it. We're not going to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Ever. But this isn't about that. You could be in danger." _

_"For God's sake, Peter!"_

Gwen was freaking out. She had no idea how far along the research was for the Osborn take down, or how soon it would be until Peter had a serious enemy. She also didn't have a clue if he would be assuming that she was only worried because she thought he was her boyfriend.

...

Peter rubbed his eyes through the mask. Today had been a long day, full of Peter Parker related stress, so it was nice that he got this outlet. It was almost impossible to think of trivial problems like Gwen Stacy when he was swinging across New York, helping to catch car thieves and muggers and murderers. So he assumed that he was just too tired to keep going all night that night. He assumed the dull Spider senses were due to his exhaustion. He assumed the weird smell that had invaded his nostrils earlier was just remnants of yesterday's swim in the river.

Never in a million years would he assume that someone had poisoned him.

Or that someone was following his every move.

Or that there was someone who was just about to see his true identity.

**A/N: A few apologies: 1, sorry for not updating in a month even though I've had this written for that entire time! I was partaking in NaNoWriMo and was staying off fanfiction as much as possible! 2, sorry for the will they/won't they filled chapter, but it would seem that they're on the right track, now! Can you guess where this story is going? R & R as always :)**


	6. Chapter 6

When Peter eventually showed up at her window, Gwen was too pissed to even contemplate letting him inside. Instead she remained still on her bed, typing out one of her essays that was due tomorrow. Though, to be truthful, she wasn't actually typing out anything coherent, just moving her fingers across the keyboard so Peter would see that she was ignoring him. She could feel his gaze on her, and that's what bothered her the most. He had no problem with ignoring her million and one text message and calls today, and now that she needed that space, she had to deal with this unnerving feeling that came from someone staring at her?

Exasperated, she decided to do some research into what Harry had said earlier. Over the course of the day she'd realised that he was probably just fucking with her, especially as everyone and their mom knew the connection Gwen had with Spider-man. Or at least they knew that there was one. He'd supposedly murdered her father, after all.

What she found, though, was inconclusive. Yes, there had been sightings of Osborn-owned cars outside the Oscorp building, but no sightings of the head guy himself anywhere near. The mysterious appearances of the vehicles had started the week of Spider-man's first outing, and had since become more frequent until they seemed to at least be on a day-to-day basis.

Staying away from Oscorp, from the building where her father had died and where she'd risked her life for the good of New York, was now going to be impossible. They'd made it clear that her internship was still being offered, but Gwen had neglected to make a decision about her future there. Until now. When Peter's life was at risk, she knew that she had to do everything in her power to make him safe.

She did love him, after all.

On that thought, Gwen looked up at her window, expecting to see the red and blue of her friendly neighbourhood superhero. Instead, she was greeted with an empty fire escape. Well, not completely empty. A thin layer of webbing coated a corner, with a message smeared on it.

_I wasn't ignoring your calls. I wasn't feeling too good. But I meant what I said earlier. I won't risk your life._

...

The next day seemed like a "it's now or never" moment for Gwen. Straight after school she headed in the direction of Oscorp, the building looming over her more and more with every step. Peter had actually been in class, which only solidified her resolve. The idea of living in a world where Peter Parker didn't live too, where she didn't get to see that smile of his, that twinkle in his eye, the hard jawline he got whenever anyone insulted Spider-man or was hurt in front of him... it didn't bear thinking about.

For the first few days she focused on whatever jobs she was set, throwing herself into the current science project as if it was her responsibility and her responsibility alone. Truthfully, if she stopped and thought about where she was, about what had happened above her head, about the things that nearly happened to her...

She remembered sitting in that closet, heart pounding as she honestly contemplated what she would want her last words to be. She remembered staring into those cold, inhuman eyes - the monster - and she remembered how she had wondered if Peter would ever become like that (after all, he was inhuman too). She remembered the relief that had shocked her very core as the lizard left without harming a hair on her head. She remembered the feeling of relief when she realised that Peter had come out of it unharmed, and that he'd managed to save the city, and she'd smiled as she watched him swing away. But then it had all come crumbling down around her.

_"Gwen!"_ She'd heard somebody call, but she was still watching her boyfriend soar into the skyline. _"Gwen!"_ That voice again, accompanied this time by two hands on her shoulders. Instinctively she'd whipped around, ready to attack whoever had touched her... but then she'd seen the face. It was her father's best friend on the police force, his face ashen and full of sorrow. _"You should find your mother, kid." _Those 5 words, even when spoken along with a patronising term of supposed endearment, had been enough to make Gwen want to throw up.

Her hysterics were nothing compared to the level of her mother, and that's when she had known. Her words to Peter from only a few days ago echoed in her brain. _"Every day, for as long as I can remember, my father has left every morning and he's put a badge on his chest and strapped a gun to his hip. And every day for as long as I can remember, I haven't known if he was going to make it home." _And that's when the numbness had taken over. She'd set her jaw in a straight line, held her mother close, and tried to be strong. She had to be strong.

... And be strong she had. Not just for her mother, but for her brothers, and all her family. And now she was only doing what she was doing for Peter - the one person who she had cried in front of, standing at his front door. She was being strong for the only person she thought she could be weak in front of.

After the first month back, people stopped treating her like she was fragile and prone to break at any second. They stopped standing in the corners, watching her every move. They started to give her more responsibilities, sure that she could handle whatever they threw at her. And because of that, it wasn't long until she was able to access those files.

They weren't kept particularly secret, Oscorp seemingly unafraid of exposure - after all, nobody wanted Spiderman dead more than the general public. All that it took was the high security code that had been given to her when she was "promoted" to "top intern" - also known as Dr Connor's obvious favourite (though seemingly not his alter ego's favourite, he had caused her father's death without so much as a thought), and she was in, giving her enough information about the dealings with Osborn to make her want to throw up again.

Peter Parker was in trouble.

...

Meanwhile, Peter was still unaware that his life was in danger (no more than usual, anyway) and was going about his double life, still feeling the adrenaline every time he swung about the city. He'd given himself a day off after that weird feeling, for once letting Aunt May look after him and mother him like she used to, back when he was a child and got the "boo-boos."

He'd turned up at Gwen's that night, though, and every night since, determined to prove in some small way that he cared about her just as much as he always did and that somehow they were going to work it out. And every night she'd looked up and acknowledged him, before returning to whatever she was working on.

Until one day she didn't just look up at him. She looked up at him with tears streaming down her face. And there was no power on earth that could stop him from entering her room and hugging her. No words were spoken - she would say what it was if she needed to. _"You're going to get hurt, Peter." _She sobbed into his chest, and he'd agreed with her because he was hardly going to lie. _"No, not by the police."_ He paused, pushing her away a little to look at her properly. Skin blotchy, nose red, eyes wider than they should be - she looked like a little girl who had seen too much. _"Oscorp are after you."_

The last time anyone from Oscorp was "after" him, he'd been forced to promise to stay away from the girl he loved by her dying father. He'd been forced to accept that the events of the past few months could have serious consequences, and it wasn't right to just mess around. So hearing those words sent a chill running through his spine and he immediately took off his mask and demanded that the blonde explained.

_"They're trying to turn someone else into you. They're going to match all your abilities and when the time is right, they're going to kill you."_

_"Wh-Why would they do that?" _The idea that he was walking around with seriously limited days left didn't scare him. It was more what they would do to Gwen if her association with him came out.

_"Because you killed my father, right?" _She choked out the words, though she didn't really believe them. She just knew that everyone else did. Never mind the giant lizard that very nearly killed everyone, of course it was the man in the red and blue suit that murdered a man on the police force. _"You're a wanted man, Peter Parker."_ She sobbed again, and without thinking leaned up to kiss him. The kiss was more of a crush of their lips, but it wasn't meant to be romantic or like it belonged in a film. It was because Gwen couldn't stand the idea of Peter dying without knowing how she truly felt about him.

_"I love you." _She breathed, cupping his face. He pulled away, but she refused to let him. _"No. Peter Parker, I love you. And I will do anything to save you." _Her eyes were intense and the tears had stopped. And then she kissed him again, this time not stopping until he kissed her back, surrendering to her with a groan.

...

They didn't sleep together that night, though it was tough to restrain herself when his suit had been peeled off to his waist, exposing all that chest and arms and... Peter had refused, saying that tonight wasn't about that and it certainly shouldn't be about that. She needed someone to be there for her and he was.

Even though his instincts told him to leave as soon as she was sleeping peacefully, because every second he stayed meant that Gwen was in even more danger, he couldn't bring himself to. He ended up falling asleep too, waking up as soon as she did, a peaceful smile on her face. _"I'll be okay." _He promised her before he left, brushing his lips with hers and then laughing when she pouted. So then he surrendered for the millionth time, unable to resist her, and they spent the next twenty minutes rolling around on his bed.

_"Be my girlfriend again." _He murmured, staring into those big blue eyes and knowing that there was no other option. He'd tried to stay away from her, and had managed for a couple of months, but it caused too much pain for the both of them. And sometimes the only way you could save someone was by being with them.

_"Yes." _She whispered back, closing her eyes for a moment.

Peter Parker used that opportunity to leave, because if he didn't go then, neither of them would make it to school that day.

...


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Guess who got TASM for Christmas? (Hint: Me.) As a result, I went back and changed a couple of details on previous chapters. Williamsburg bridge instead of Brooklyn, the spelling of Osborn, etc. Nothing major, I just wanted to not watch TASM until I could sit down and watch the whole thing and therefore there were inaccuracies. (Spoiler: it's still the best film ever.)**

_"There's some place I wanna show you." _He spoke in between kissing her, hereby sealing their reputation as 'that annoying couple that make out against the lockers and prevent other people from getting into theirs' and not caring.

_"Peter, finals are in two weeks and I need to keep my focus."_ She giggled when a forlorn expression appeared on his face and then lasted about 3 seconds before she relented_. "Fine. But only if you aren't too distracting."_

_"_I'm_ distracting?"_ He leaned back a little bit to give himself a chance to catch his breath. A smirk played on his lips and she returned it.

_"Yes. You're very distracting, constantly showing off with your gadgets and... whatnot."_ She paused, aware that she was in the corridor at school with approximately 5 minutes to go until class started. Therefore she was hardly going to mention his bug powers or his hands that just didn't seem to want to keep to themselves...

_"I seem to remember a time, when I was trying to save the city and you demanded that I stay and focus on you instead."_ His eyes lit up at the memory. The fact that he was now able to be like this with Gwen, to let the whole world know how in love he was, was something he would never get over_. "I mean, I think you may have just pushed me down onto your bed and got on top of me... and if that's not distracting, I don't know what is."_

_"That was last night, actually."_ She tried to get annoyed that he was broadcasting their relationships to the students surrounding them, but when he laughed and spun her around so that it was her pushed up against the metal it was a hopeless attempt. _"And you know it."_

_"Yes, I do..."_ He leaned down and kissed her neck, and Gwen knew he was going to be the death of her. _"Now let's go to class."_ He pushed off her about 5 milliseconds before they would've been interrupted by the shrill sound of the bell, grabbed her hand, and strode off with her in tow.

...

They only had a few classes that they weren't together, and it just so happened that one of them was her last lesson of the day. Since they'd got together, 3 months and 15 days ago, everything had been pretty much perfect. As weird as it sounds, the city had been kept pretty tame. Peter went out every single night at 9 to survey and do a bit of rounding up of car thieves, before returning to Gwen's bed for a goodnight kiss, and then going home to Aunt May.

And as far as she was aware, there had been no significant developments on the quest to beat Spider-man. The serum had to be blended with a cure for whatever condition Norman Osborn had, and that was taking it's time. She'd discovered that the man himself didn't even attend the meetings, and hadn't _ever._ Not that the meetings could really be called meetings, considering they happened daily (during spring break she'd spent whole mornings at Oscorp - mainly because if she didn't have something on her schedule she'd end up spending the whole time with Peter, and she swore she would never end up like that kind of girlfriend) and lasted about 5 minutes. A man with a grumpy demeanour and a smart suit would come in empty handed, and leave with a file and an even unhappier face. It would seem that Norman was getting sicker and sicker, and apparently the only hope for him was this project.

So her boyfriend was safe. As safe as a superhero could be. And that made her happy, especially as it meant that he was actually attending classes, though he revelled in the ones that he missed because it meant that he could force Gwen to play teacher.

She didn't allow herself to get wrapped up in the memory, however, because Peter came bounding along the corridor, skateboard on his back and a grin on his face. After a quick kiss hello (as if they hadn't seen each other an hour ago), he grabbed her hand and they left school to see this secret place of his.

...

Sometimes Peter liked to come back to this place and remind himself of the first time he'd come here. He'd just got those weird powers and had wanted to explore them without being at risk of being seen - after all, the previous night hadn't been his most enjoyable ride on the subway... So he'd messed about, feeling completely free (in fact, he don't think he'd ever had as much fun skating) and doing things that were definitely not normal and not caring about it.

He'd brought Gwen here just to show off, and show off he did. She'd always be watching him, even with her book open in front of her, and he _loved_ that. He loved everything about her, but especially that. When he was finished, she gave him a little round of applause and moved over on the table she was sitting on so that he could join her, and then kissed him when he did.

Everything about their relationship was going perfectly, and Peter Parker could not be happier.

Even if she did spend the rest of their afternoon with her nose in her trig book, and not even his lips could distract her (not that that stopped him trying)...

...

_"You know this stuff, Peter. It's basic 8th grade things."_ She laughed at him as he curled up around her on her bedroom floor. The next day, instead of taking her on an escapade, he had promised to do whatever she wanted to do without complaint. Obviously as the threat of finals loomed ever closer, she chose to spend the time reviewing, which he had audibly groaned about, before remembering his promise and shutting up.

_"But I like it when you teach me. It's sexy."_ He bit his lip and just looked at her. Her emotions were always conflicted when his gaze turned dark. She could never decide if she liked when he seemed like he could barely control himself, like it was such a great effort for him to stop himself from ripping all her clothes off and _fucking_ her right then and there.

Gwen blushed. She and Peter hadn't got further than second base, which was further than she'd got with anybody, and it was still completely new just how open he was about wanting her. Not that he would ever, _ever_ pressure her into something she wasn't ready for.

She'd lost track of studying genetics and had to work really hard to bring her mind back into safe territory. In the end she gave up, throwing her textbook aside and pushing her boyfriend into the floor, climbing atop of him. _"Easy, bug boy."_ She scolded, when his hands immediately moved up to roam across her back._ "Punnett squares are a way to predict the outcome of a particular cross."_ She recited the definition she'd memorized, managing to not stumble on her words even when her boyfriend was setting fire to her, at every place he touched.

_"Told you that you knew this stuff." _He smirked up at her, eyes doing that _thing _again. Gwen blushed again, cheeks aflame. "_You're so cute when you blush." _She wanted to just hide her face, hide herself from the way he made her feel, unsure how she was supposed to react.

_"Of course I know this stuff, but I don't know everything and finals are really important and-" _Her words were stifled as Peter leant up and captured her lips with his. All thoughts of biology were thrown out of her head, it was much more enjoyable to focus on the way he was kissing her, the butterflies that stirred in her stomach, the feeling of happiness that expanded in her chest...

_"I suppose I can just review later..." _She murmured against his lips and then they both chuckled, textbooks thrown aside and their kisses deepening.

...

_"Come out with me." _He muttered as he kissed her cheek, lying on her bed with her, holding her hands and letting them roam across her body. As always, their make out session had been cut short when she decided she didn't want to go any further.

But he wanted to. Sometimes he wanted to be with her so completely that it hurt when she stopped them. An actual, physical ache. Gwen was so completely unaware of how much he needed to be with her. He would never bring it up, knowing she would end up feeling guilty about how there were times when he seriously worried about going out in his spandex suit after meeting her, painfully aware of the effect that she had on him.

And no amount of cold showers stopped her from causing it every single time they were alone in her room. He wanted her, pure and simple. And if he had an ounce of self control he would manage to resist from pulling her onto his lap at any available opportunity. It would seem that any restraint he had had been used up trying to keep her father's promise. Now he just had to be with her in any way possible, all the time.

Aunt May adored her, he managed to slightly win around her mother (even though every time he spoke to her it was incredibly awkward because she had, after all, declared her hatred of his alias), her brothers liked his company... their relationship was pretty good. Could've been better if they spent at least some of the time naked in her bed.

_"If I fail my finals, I'm going to hate you forever." _She responded to him with something that definitely wasn't a no.

_"No, you're not." _He could feel her smile against his cheek and smiled back in response. It was definitely a yes. _"Come on, it'll be fun." _

...

As he swung them across the city, Gwen closed her eyes. If she kept them open she ended up blinded by the lights and the wind. It was easier and much more enjoyable to just hold tight and feel how her boyfriend's muscles moved with every swing.

But then she realised that he had stopped and she opened her eyes to see why.

_"I thought that was a police car but it's not... Isn't that Harry's house?" _Even Peter knew of Harry, and they had landed on the fire escape of a building opposite his. There were flashing lights and Peter was right, it wasn't police.

It was an ambulance.

As if sensing Gwen's curiosity, Peter inched closer to the scene so that it was possible to see exactly what was going on.

It would appear that Norman Osborn's body had finally given up.


	8. Chapter 8

_"Harry, I'm so sorry._" Gwen couldn't help herself from going round Harry's the moment the official announcement was made. She expected there to be a million other people in the building, but she'd rung ahead and for whatever reason, she had been the only one allowed in. _"Is Mary Jane not around?" _Of course she only got a raise of Harry's eyebrows in response, but that was more than she got to her first sentence. There were empty bottles strewn around everywhere, the faint smell of vomit and more than anything there was the worrying sign of someone who was never on the safe side of wild and could now be responding to his father's death in a way that would end up with another funeral. _"Harry, this is important. You need to not to this to yourself. Grieve, yes. But don't fuck up your life-"_

_"My life is already fucked up, Gwen. But I appreciate your concern. It's more than can be said for my girlfriend." _He said the words to the glass of whisky (that was something, she supposed- he was still drinking out of a glass) more than to her, but she managed to hear them.

_"Okay, fine." _And then she sat there, unsure of what to say. Every single time she started a sentence, it was greeted with an empty stare and a hard jaw. So she gave up, grabbing her bag and leaving with a small _"goodbye."_

She couldn't ignore the guilt that was settling in her stomach, though. She managed a small amount of reviewing and then made a promise to herself that she would visit him again tomorrow. After all, it was partly her fault that his father had died, because she worked at Oscorp and maybe if she'd offered her services then-

what was she saying? If they'd worked out the formula than her boyfriend would definitely not be alive right now. The city would be in danger from all sorts of criminals and at risk from whatever monster the algorithm would have created.

Gwen's thoughts swam round and round her head all night until she fell into a fitful sleep.

...

_"You missed another final today." _She told him as he stared blankly at the wall. Surely his liver must be fucked up by now, she thought, considering that he'd been drinking for the past fortnight and doing nothing else. Gwen had visited every day after school, lying to her boyfriend, to her mother, missing out on valuable revision time and if she failed these exams because of this, she would end up hating herself for the rest of her life. Which in the end, was what made her snap.

_"Would you just fucking stop?" _She blurted out, earning herself a look from the heir to the Osborn franchise. She couldn't stand not being able to help in any way. It was frustrating and especially as her various attempts didn't seem to be appreciated. She was spreading herself way too thin, between school and Oscorp and Harry and her boyfriend and her family, and it had taken its toll.

_"I'm here every single day. You don't say hi, you don't appreciate me, you don't acknowledge my existence and it's not right. Your father wouldn't have wanted this for you. The will was read and you got everything, I know that. So why are you not going to see what you now have? You don't have to work a day in your life, you have all the riches in the world and your father spent the last 5 years sick. I bet he wished he could get outside the house and just be, and you're wasting your health!" _She stood up, grabbed her bag and began to storm out.

_"Don't come back, then." _His voice was faint and croaky through lack of use, but it was there. And Gwen let herself feel a small amount of relief.

_"Because I feel guilty! I helped Spiderman ruin what was left of the formula that could have helped your father-"_

_"Spiderman." _He spoke in a wondrous tone, as if he had just discovered the meaning of life. _"This is all Spiderman's fault." _Though Gwen protested, Harry looked, for the first time since his father died, like he had life running through his veins rather than pure alcohol. Moving like an old man, he slowly stood up and hobbled over to where his phone was resting on the floor, and all Gwen could do was stare in horror as she realised what she might have caused. _"This is Harry. Send a car tomorrow morning at 9 am ASAP. I'm going to visit Oscorp, make sure they're ready for me." _He paused, looked at Gwen and raised his eyebrows, asking whether she needed a lift. When she shook her head, he hung up the phone and put down his glass.

Gwen finally found the capability to move her legs, running out of the building and into the street. Harry had the biggest motivation of all, and now her boyfriend was in danger again.

...

_"Hey, you'll do fine tomorrow. Last one, and then you're free, right?" _Peter gave her a brief kiss on the cheek as they lay on her bed that evening, understanding that it was not the time for a serious make out session. And he didn't force her to talk about whatever was on her mind, which was definitely a good thing.

_"Gwen, are you working tomorrow?" _Her mother knocked on the door and with lightning speed, Peter flung himself onto the computer chair. Although her mom was cool with him being in her room unsupervised, he didn't think she would be as laidback about him being on her bed and looking very comfortable and at home there. When Gwen answered affirmatively, her mother sighed and came in the room. _"You were working today. And yesterday. And every night for the past two weeks. It's not good for your exams." _

It dawned on Gwen that Peter was now looking at her with a furrowed brow. She'd told him that she hadn't been working all week, she'd been forced to spend time with her family. She couldn't tell him that she was working because he hated that she still associated with that company. She'd told her mom that she'd been working because she hated that she spent so much time with Peter.

_"I mean, you haven't been getting home until near enough 9 pm. It's just not good enough, don't they realise you have family commitments."_

And even if she had been working every day (rather than just most days), Peter knew that they closed the building at 6 pm (new company policy after the events of last fall). So her lie had completely fallen through.

_"It's just because we've been working on a project that has a deadline of tomorrow. So after tomorrow I won't be working ALL the time." _Gwen closed her eyes as her mother shut the door, knowing that the Spanish inquisition would now be arriving in town.

_"I thought you were spending time with your family this week? And don't kid me, I know you weren't at work either." _Peter was staring at her, she could feel his gaze burning her still closed eyes. _"Gwen, that's not fair. Look at me, would you?"_

_"It's not FAIR?" _For the second time that day, Gwen snapped. Suddenly Peter judging her for not telling him where she was seemed ridiculous. _"I'll tell you what's not fair. It's not fair that you seem to think that I have to be with you every second of every day. It's not fair that you go off and save the city and do God knows what else and yet when I just want to do something for myself it's a big deal?" _She knew that she should be a little quieter. She knew that she was being a little bit irrational and that she should just quit while she was ahead, but she didn't want to. She was on a roll and finals stress had just ruined any sense of dignity she had.

_"I'm not saying that's a big deal. I'm saying it's a big deal when you just lie to my face and don't tell me what you're up to that's so top secret!" _Peter never shouted, but just this once he did. And Gwen stepped back, looking like she'd been slapped. So the next words he spoke were quieter and even toned. _"Secrets have a cost, hasn't our past taught you anything?"_

_"Our past? You mean your past that you occasionally like to accept that I was a part of? Jesus, Peter! This relationship is never going to work if you have double standards, because double standards just aren't fair and I'm sick of it!"_

_"Well if you're sick of it, I suppose I won't bother you with it anymore." _His voice was small as Peter stood up and walked out of her room, not even using the fire escape like he usually did. Gwen groaned in frustration, yelling after him but not bothering to follow him. She was tired of the relationship, but only for tonight. It had just been a long day, that's all.

They could make up in the morning.

...

Peter didn't come to her locker before school like he usually did. His locker was right opposite hers and he didn't show up to get his books, either. Of course Gwen worried, fearing the worst. Fearing that Harry had come up with the Spiderman solution in double quick time and her boyfriend was lying somewhere at the bottom of the river.

But no, she saw him while they were in their English final. She tried to make it through the sea of students, tried to get his attention before they had to be in exam conditions, but no luck. He was ignoring her.

So it was with a heavy feeling in her stomach that she completed the essay and left for Harry's, praying that he hadn't found out too much from his meeting that morning.

...


	9. Chapter 9

_"So I probably shouldn't tell you much, but just know that soon the city will be falling down at my feet." _Eyes wide, Harry spoke with the speed of somebody on drugs, probably completely unaware of what he was saying and definitely manic. Gwen wasn't sure whether to be terrified, because it meant that Harry was going to be devoting a lot of time to bringing her boyfriend (were they even still boyfriend and girlfriend?- what was she talking about, of course they were. one fight didn't completely eradicate months of making out and love and happiness), or happy that Harry had finally got out of that chair and was without a some form of alcohol in his hands for the first time in weeks.

_"Why's that?" _She asked, voice hollow. If she was honest, she already knew the answer was related to Spiderman, but she didn't want to be honest. She wanted to try and pretend like her boyfriend and the only boy she'd ever loved would be safe forever. That nobody would ever try to hurt him.

_"Let's be honest here, Gwen. If you were that curious you would just look it up when you were working. You have some sort of relationship with Spiderman, and unless you tell me who he is-"_ Harry was definitely having mental health issues, as he stopped himself from spilling any more information. Gwen couldn't even stand to be near him, especially as she knew Harry could (and would) do anything to get Spiderman's true identity out of her. So she muttered something, grabbed her bag and fled the house, determined to never return.

...

_"What are you doing here?"_ She had let her legs control her, and after what seemed like forever, had found herself standing at her father's grave, only to find her mother there. _"I thought you were supposed to have work today..." _To tell the truth, Gwen hadn't visited her father's grave in months. To see his name there, carved in stone, was to be forced to accept that he was never coming back. It was undeniable and unavoidable. She couldn't distract herself with school work and boyfriends and work... not when it was in front of her.

_"Oh, hi... it's my lunch break." _It would seem that Gwen's mother was having the same problems - facing the truth. Months later and she still had tears in her eyes when she saw that date. Her husband was gone. He'd left her, and the last words she'd said to him had probably been insignificant, a quick goodbye as she scolded their children, asking him when he was going to be home for dinner that evening. _"Spiderman came to visit here once." _

Gwen's head snapped up at that. _"Spiderman? When?" _Peter had never told her this, which was strange because it did seem significant enough to mention...

_"A few months ago, I guess." _There was a pause. _"Probably just before you and Peter got back together, actually." _Gwen's heart started thudding in her chest. What exactly had happened at this location to cause such a dramatic change in their situation? _"He told me that he didn't murder your father."_ Her voice shook at the effort of holding in the tears. _"I told him that his sign would never happen. He would never earn the Universe's forgiveness for what he had done."_

_But he earned his own. _Gwen added up the dots, knowing Peter well enough to figure out what he had been thinking. _"I have to go. I'll see you for dinner, okay?" _

And then her mother was gone, leaving Gwen staring at her father's grave, feeling incredibly guilty for having ever despised her father for the promise that he forced Peter into making. Peter would have stayed away from her anyway, regardless of what a dying man had told him, and it was only when Peter visited the place that her father was buried that he managed to not blame himself anymore.

_"Thank you Daddy."_ She whispered, kissing her fingertips and then pressing them lightly against the marble.

She needed to see Peter.

...

_"I'm sorry Gwen, he's not in."_ Peter's aunt May opened the door, an already apologetic look on face which told the truth more than her words did. Gwen knew that Peter was currently in his room, she'd seen the light on. He was in his room and he was avoiding her. Because of their fight or because of any other reasons, she didn't know. But she wasn't going to make it easy for him.

_"Okay, I'll just wait for him to get back. It's kind of important." _She stepped forward a little, only to be halted by May doing to same thing. _"Let's not beat around the bush. He's upstairs and I need to see him."_

_"Considering that he's barely spoken to me for the past 24 hours and he refused to come and eat his dinner, I think it's best you leave." _Her voice was steel, so unlike anything else that had ever come out of her mouth, that Gwen gave up.

_"Tell him that I came round, though?"_ She asked, hopeful. If Peter could just know that she was willing to talk it out, their fight would be over sooner rather than later.

...

Peter listened to the whole exchange from the top of the stairs. Though he appreciated that Gwen obviously wanted to sort it out, he wasn't quite ready for that and was thankful that Aunt May had understood. What she'd said to him had stung. He thought she understood who he was and what he had to do. He thought she was the only person who would never make him feel guilty about choosing the "greater good" over his school work, or his relationship. But she was _sick _of it?

That was too much. it wasn't that she was having issues with it, because then that implies they were tiny and wouldn't affect their whole relationship. People had issues with the things that their partner did, it's just how the world works. But she was sick of how he was - of who he was.

And he needed some space to deal with that fact.

...

Gwen couldn't sleep that night, tossing and turning but never being able to shut off her brain, instead having thoughts of Harry (because should she tell someone about how fucked up he was going to be? Should she carry on visiting him even though today he terrified her? Is how he was acting normal - because one thing she'd learnt about grief was that nothing was really normal and yet everything was. Harry was acting differently to how she acted and definitely differently to how Peter acted...) and Peter (because she wanted to talk to him, but trying to contact him was proving difficult. He never checked his phone, usually forgetting to pay his contract and therefore leaving it off unless he needed it for his police radio. He was refusing to see her at his house, and she wasn't going to see him at school until graduation, which wasn't until next week, by which time something could have happened to either of them and the fight would definitely take more than an apology to move past) and Spiderman (because if Harry was obsessing over it, it wouldn't be long until they discovered something about him... his Achilles heel, his identity, _something _that would cause his demise) swimming around.

So she decided to give up and go for a walk. She knew it was dangerous to wander around the city in the middle of the night, but she could be safe. She'd be fine.

Grabbing her phone and a hoody, she slipped out of the building and into the streets.

...

Gwen wasn't the only one struggling to sleep that night. Peter had been out on his nightly rounds, which was usually enough to exhaust him, but his muscles just wouldn't relax. He kept checking his phone, hoping for a text from Gwen. He hated not speaking to her, and even if he didn't reply, it would calm him down just to know that she was okay. So as he watched the clock go round and the hours pass, he decided to just give up and go for one more swing.

Silently, he pulled on his suit, grabbed his phone and climbed out of his building onto the roof, ready to face any simplistic criminals that were roaming the city. He also took a packet of mints.

Just in case Gwen called.

...

Both of them found their way to the centre, neither of them encountering any trouble and both of them noticing the way that Oscorp was completely lit up, something that hadn't happened since the night of the incident. After all, everyone was required to be off site after 6pm (besides security). And seeing as neither of them were the kind to listen to that old saying about curiosity killing the cat, they both ran towards the building.

Peter saw Gwen first, and in that moment he knew that regardless of the fact that they were fighting at that time, she was in danger if she didn't have anybody to project her. So he swooped down, picked her up (trying to muffle her shrieks and avoid her kicks), and then carried her to rest on the nearest fire escape.

_"Are you an idiot?"_ They both hissed at the same time. _"I could've hurt you!"_ she said, just as he told her that _"you could've got hurt!" _And then there was the awkward pause as neither of them were sure of how to react to the other.

In the end, Gwen knew that she was the one in the wrong so she should at least take the opportunity to explain herself. _"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to go for a walk. I saw that Oscorp was lit and I thought I would check it out for myself." _She couldn't see Peter's eyes, but she could almost imagine the expression on his face: a mixture of _"you're so dumb, do you not care about your safety at all?" _and _"I'm still really hurt from what you said yesterday, so don't expect me to make this easy for you."_

_"I came round yours earlier, but you weren't in."_ Gwen looked down at her hands. _"I wanted to tell you that I was sorry. I didn't mean what I said and I guess I just got scared. You see, the truth is... I've been visiting Harry every day this week." _

At that bombshell, Peter forced Gwen to look into his masked eyes and from his body language, she thought he was going to say something...

But then there was a massive boom and both of their heads swung around to stare at Oscorp, where the top floor had a lot of smoke billowing out of the window. _"But the only people with access to the top floor itself are the-" _Her hands flew to her mouth as she realised.

_"Harry."_


	10. Chapter 10

_"Oh god oh god oh god." _Those two syllables became Gwen's mantra over the next few minutes. Having Peter around became a hindrance when she found herself held tightly in his arms, as if he knew she would want to see what had happened to Harry, if he was alright and how he could've been so stupid as to do some sort of experiment when he wasn't trained at all, didn't he realise the risks? But Peter refused to let her move, telling her that it probably wasn't safe.

_"Can you just, for once, look out for yourself?" _He hissed at her, sounding so absolutely furious that she stopped struggling. _"You don't seem to realise how dangerous things can be. Of course you worry more than the average person if it's putting me in harm's way, or Harry... but when it comes to yourself... Fuck, Gwen. Don't you realise how I can't bear to lose you?" _Peter was pissed. This was his girlfriend, and he loved her more than anything else, but over the past few months she'd stopped thinking like a normal person. A normal person would not have wandered the streets of New York in the middle of the night, even if it was summertime. A normal person wouldn't have risked being around someone like Harry, who had been involved in a drugs scandal one way or another the entire time Peter had known him. A normal person, Peter realised with a sinking heart, wouldn't have been in a relationship with a so-called superhero. So he amended his previous statement and decided he didn't want her to be a "normal person." He just wanted her to be a little more sane. _"I love you, Gwen. Just don't be dumb. Please." _

She didn't move for several minutes, but then she heard the slam of a door and her head snapped to see the heir to the Osborne empire stumbling out of his own building.

She turned back to Peter and, though she couldn't see his face, she could tell that there was a look of resignation on it, as his grip loosened. _"We'll talk about this some other time, okay?"_ She promised, already clambering down the metal stairs and yelling after her friend.

Peter, meanwhile, took the opportunity to disappear. He trusted Gwen, of course he did. But if she was getting along so well with the guy who was desperate to kill him, he'd rather not see. Besides, Gwen had made her choice.

_"What are you doing here, Gwen?" _Harry was shaking, she noticed. He was shaking and he looked cold and Gwen just wanted to wrap him up and stroke his hair and treat him like the child that he still was. But one look in his eyes told her that that wasn't going to be possible. She just had to try and get through to him and stop this madness, especially if it could hurt the only boy she'd ever loved.

_"I could ask you the same thing."_ There was no response, but Gwen carried on walking with him, not giving up this time. _"I heard the explosion, what happened?" _Still no response, so she hit him lightly, not being able to ignore the way he recoiled from her touch like she had left a bruise. _"Harry, nobody is going to be angry at you. Just tell me what went on and we can sort it before anyone else gets hurt."_

_"People already _are_ hurt, Gwen. Don't you get it?" _This was more words strung together than Harry had managed for weeks, and Gwen figured it was a rhetorical question so she didn't have to ruin his flow. _"My dad, your dad, all ruined by the same thing."_

_"Your dad was sick, Harry. That has nothing to do with Spiderman." _She couldn't help herself from sticking up for her boyfriend.

_"Why are you supporting him? He killed your dad, and he stopped my dad from living longer. He is a monster, and I'm going to stop him. Once and for all._" He paused, sentences formulating in his brain, wondering which one was the best one to actually say. _"You wanted to know what I was doing at Oscorp? What happened to make the explosion? You'll find out soon enough." _

And then, in the blink of an eye, Harry was gone, leaving Gwen standing there, stunned.

...

_"I'm so fucking pissed at you right now." _Peter murmured against her lips, his words going completely against his actions. When Gwen had made it home that night, he'd been waiting on her fire escape and she hadn't even paused before letting him in, even though she wasn't really ready for the discussion that she had been sure would follow. But when he's clambered in her window, there had been no words before his lips were pressing insistently against hers, and it would seem that there was no way conversation would occur tonight.

_"The feeling's mutual."_ She groaned back, arms wrapping around him as he pushed his tongue into her mouth. Sure, there's a part of her that wants to know exactly what he's hoping to achieve here, especially when he's refusing to talk to her. The rest of her, however, is content to just have this, the making out that's making her blood boil and her heart pound.

His hands are on her waist now, his fingertips igniting flames even through her shirt. As they started to move further below until they were cupping her ass, she paused, her own hands now pushing lightly against his chest, forcing him to stop kissing her. It's an instinctive reaction, seeing as it happens every single time she feels like it's gone too far. _"Gwen, I need you." _His voice breaks a little bit, pleading with pure want, his eyes permanently focussed on her lips.

And in that moment, she realises that she's ready. Maybe she should wait until it's romantic, until they're celebrating graduation or after prom or when it's not 3 am and she hasn't just snuck in from going out and they haven't had a week long argument or when they've discussed it thoroughly - birth control isn't an issue, she hasn't been with anyone else and nor has Peter and she's been on the pill since she was 14, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't at least discuss their future and where their relationship is going... but all of that can wait. She's ready, and by the way Peter is looking at her, biting his lip and giving her _those _eyes, he's ready too.

_"Okay." _She whispers, which probably sounds like she's only agreeing to it because Peter wants it, but that is more than far from the truth. It's enough for him, anyway, as his lips capture hers once more and he's backing her up, away from the window, towards her bed.

_"Want you- so bad-" _The words falling out of his mouth are incoherent, barely there sentences, grunted as they fall onto the mattress. His hands are here, there, everywhere - tracing patterns along her abdomen, still clutching at her waist, then fumbling with the shoulders of her hoody. But the words have the affect they need to, Gwen feeling heat pool at the base of her stomach.

_"I'm still annoyed at you." _She reminds him, or at least she tried to. The reality is she got two words into that sentence and was forced to break off with a small gasp - his tongue now flicking across her collar bone, fingers having been successful at removing one of the layers that separated their skin. So the meaning of the sentence was lost into her hazy consciousness, and she couldn't bring herself to care.

Before either of them can really accept that this is happening, their clothes are lost, thrown haphazardly towards the ground, and she's faced with the reality of how she makes him feel; being able to feel him pressing against her leg. She moans, and Peter's head snaps up to make eye contact with her, his eyes dark. She realises that she's rarely, if ever, let noises slip out of her mouth, and it would seem that it was a massive turn on.

But he doesn't really let it stop him, eyes widening as he lifts himself up to remove his pants. It's the first time that he's been able to see his girlfriend in all her glory, from the roundness of her breasts as they heave up and down in her bra with every breath, the flat panes of her stomach, the curve of her hips, only accentuated by her underwear... _"Are you sure?"_ He checks, feeling completely overwhelmed by the way this evening has gone but trying desperately to make sure she's on the same page as him.

There's no answer, she's seemingly distracted, eyes focussed on his abs, even though she's seen them multiple times before when she's had to nurse him back to health. Peter repeats the question, already preparing to grab his jeans and pull them back on. But before he can, when he's just began to motion of backing away, Gwen leaps into action, grabbing his shoulders, telling him to shut up and silencing his lips with hers in case he didn't quite get the picture.

She is completely, positively, 100% sure.

...

His mind is spinning. How many times has he fantasized about this, even when Gwen didn't know who he was or what he was like, he's imagined how it would feel to have her naked under him (he's a boy, what did you expect?). But the reality is... well, it's a million times better. Her lips are on his, her fingers scraping through his hair, feet running up and down his calves... breasts pushing into his chest. He can feel the peaks of her nipples - evidence that he's at least doing something right here - and it's taking all he can do not to yank down his boxers and bury himself in her.

But he won't do that. _"Can I-"_ He stutters, stumbling on his words. _"I want to try something." _He can't help himself, even though his own body is crying out for release, throbbing almost painfully. His lips move from Gwen's to her neck, and he focuses on the way that she's breathing. So when her breathing falters he knows that he's found a pressure point there, and he sucks a little harder. There's a part of him that is desperate to mark her, to brand her as his, no matter what the outside world wants to do.

He's almost managed to forget that he is actually Spider-man, until his fingers find their way onto her chest, hands feeling the hot flesh and fingertips catching ever so slightly whenever he moves. The first time it happens his girlfriend gasps, and he stops, scared that the superhero thing might further hinder their night.

_"Why did you stop?"_ She asks, back already arching to push herself further into his palms. And so he continues, wanting to commit this to memory. Then his hands move further south, tracing patterns along her thighs, as his lips follow. This is what he wanted to try, mainly because the idea of Gwen losing herself, losing control, forgetting everything except the pleasure that he's giving her - that's worth losing himself over.

So that's how it comes to be that his fingers are inside of her, cautiously testing the angles until he hears another moan and he figures he's found the right spot. And Peter _loves_ to hear that sound. It sends shivers right down his spine and sends his blood southwards. The fact that it's him that's causing it... that's just the cherry on top.

He experiments, investigating with curling his fingers, using three fingers or two, harder thrusts, deeper thrusts, until Gwen's moans turn to pants (which is good, because otherwise they would raise suspicion from the other members of this household) and she's tightening around his fingers. And he watches, his dreams becoming reality as her mouth falls open and her eyes clench shut and a light sheen of sweat breaks out across her skin.

_"Wow. That was... yeah." _When she gets her voice back, it's hoarser than usual. And he's harder than he ever has been before. And all he can do is watch her as she comes down from her orgasm, because he knows that if he kisses her right now, there's no way of hiding how much he wants her, and he can't force her into this. He won't. But soon she's looking back at him with a questioning look on her face, which quickly turns into worry and doubt. _"You don't want to continue?"_

_"I was just... I wasn't sure if you wanted to... I-"_ Why is it that he can never formulate the words right when he needs to? It's lucky that Gwen finds it endearing or at least not a turn off, if the way that she tugs down his boxers with her feet and starts kissing him again is any indication. _"Tell me if I hurt you, okay?"_

The truth is that he enters her so slowly it's not painful at all. It's weird, so unlike anything she's ever experienced, but she wouldn't say it was anything more than a little uncomfortable. So she smiles up at him, eyes wide as she tries to let him know that it's okay, that he can move faster. And move faster he does, and deeper, and he's the one making the noises now (after spending the rest of the exchange just gaping at her or breathing shallow against her skin), little grunts and moans that seem to resonate right through her.

It's a turn on, to be able to watch his muscles move with every thrust, to see his hips falter as he gets closer and closer. And she loves him even more for it.

He thanks everything that led to this very moment: him, encompassed in her warmth, kissing her neck and just _being_ with her, in every sense of the word. And when he cums, it's glorious and perfect. And when they giggle awkwardly, and when they curl up together and she tells him she loves him... happy is all he feels.

...

**A/N: eeeee, smut. Please R&R, this chapter took a lot of work :/**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Determined to get this finished before any spoilers for TASM 2 come out. That way I can kid myself that I'm sticking to canon :D**

_"Can you please just, for once, listen to me?" _Her mother cries as Gwen shuts her out. It's the day before graduation, a few days after Gwen lost her virginity and the Stacy's have been shouting at each other for the past hour. Ever since her mother walked in and saw how untidy Gwen's room was, ever since she started to clean it, ever since she came across a scrap of spandex that was undeniably that of a superhero.

When Gwen had returned, toothpaste stains around her mouth, she'd frozen. _"Mom."_ So much could've been said, but the blonde couldn't even formulate the words. She'd just stood there, watching as her mom went through all the emotions that she could possibly go through. Shock, because her daughter knew Spider-man, anger, that she'd had him in her room, disappointment, that she'd had anyone in her room, hatred, for the man that killed the Captain, hurt, that Gwen would even associate with him, confusion...

_"It's Peter Parker, isn't it?"_ There didn't even need to be a question mark, she wasn't really asking. All the clues, the tiny hints, started to come together. Gwen had been obsessed with Spider-man since the beginning, she'd been in Oscorp to help him, she'd put her own father in grave danger and made him face a certain death... all for some _boy._

_"You can't tell anyone." _Gwen whispered in response, not caring how much trouble she got into (because she'd just figure out a way around that) as long as Peter would stay safe. She had to make her mother understand exactly what was going on or else everything was going to fall apart.

_"He murdered your father, how can you expect me to not tell anyone?" _The fact that her voice was so calm, so even, told Gwen that the hysterics were coming soon, and that they were going to be bad.

_"I've told you enough times, he didn't murder Daddy! He loves me, Mom! And you need to accept that-"_ It was then that she had to start wrestling her own mobile phone out of her mother's hands. _"Would you just stop?!"_

The next few hours were a blur of shrieks and screams and hurtful words. Her brothers had been at school, thank goodness, because they would have no doubt found it "awesome" that Gwen's boyfriend was Spiderman, and that wouldn't have helped the cause.

_"Daddy knew." _Finally there had been a pause in the argument. Her mother had asked her to just listen and Gwen refused. _"He found out the night he died and he _helped_ Spiderman. He helped save everyone. Daddy died because of the lizard, not because of my boyfriend." _Her mother was still silent, so Gwen carried on running with it. _"I love him, and if you tell anyone his secret, you're putting me in danger too. There are people out there who don't like Spiderman. They want to hurt him."_

_"Then there's only one thing for it. You have to break up with him and you have to break up with him now."_

And then the screaming started again.

...

_"Peter, my mom knows. She found your mask. I guess you have a spare one and that's why you haven't needed to come over to collect it." _Gwen sighs, running her hand through her hair absentmindedly. _"I don't think she's going to tell anyone, but you haven't been replying to any of my texts and I'm just worried." _She'd texted him first thing that morning, and that afternoon, and now it was the evening, and there had been nothing.

But she had to trust that Peter wasn't one of those guys. He hadn't just been using her for sex... if he had, he wouldn't have been there when she awoke. He wouldn't have waited around for months just to get her.

He wouldn't.

He just wouldn't.

_..._

Peter's in trouble, even he can accept it this time. Somehow, someone has got hold of the formula from Oscorp. They've made it more human, but more dangerous. There's no lizard this time, and as far as he can tell, this guy can slip into society. And since then, Spiderman has been targeted. Nobody else has been put in danger, so none of the newspapers have been mentioning it. In fact, besides from Peter and the man behind the other mask, nobody knows.

He still hasn't got a good look at the person, only being able to see glimpses of green and purple. If he could just hide for a moment, then he'd be able to work out where the weaknesses are, what his Achilles Heel is. But every time he goes out for rounds, there's a flash of colour and a nun chuck being thrown in Peter's direction.

There's barely a millisecond to move out of the way before another one appears. Not only does this guy have a thing against him, but he also knows where Peter lives. And, while Aunt May isn't completely oblivious to her nephews night life, to shove it in her face would be a bit cruel. So he's taken to sleeping on top of random people's fire escape, if he sleeps at all.

For the past 3 nights and days he's been avoiding Gwen's calls, choosing instead to send her little messages every couple of hours to stop her from worrying. He knows the timing is awful, but if he acts like a good boyfriend then there's a chance this villain is going to come after her too. And he'd rather get dumped than have that.

...

_"Hey, Harry. I know that last time we spoke things didn't seem okay with you? And I just haven't heard from you since. So I thought I would ring and see how you were. Um, call me back, I guess?" _She'd searched high and low for her old address book, hoping that Harry still had the same mobile number. She couldn't really pinpoint why she was ringing him, she'd just been filled with a sense that something was horribly, horribly wrong. And, being Gwen, she wanted to do something to help.

Less than 10 minutes later, her phone was buzzing. Hoping it to be her boyfriend, she leapt across the bed to grab it from where it had been thrown. _"Peter?"_

A chuckle greeted her. _"Afraid not. I figured it was only polite to return your call?" _He didn't sound as terrifying as he had the last time they encountered one another, his voice sounding more like himself rather than the hollow shell it had been.

_"Of course, sorry. Peter just hasn't done the same for a while and I'm just w- bored." _She was going to say worried, her mouth already forming the o sound, but normal girlfriends didn't get scared every time their boyfriend went AWOL for a insignificant amount of time.

_"Why don't you come over to mine?" _Immediately she protested, still being cautious about what happened the last time they went round. _"Hey, shut up. I'll send the car over right now. Unlike your boyfriend, I'm not going to let you wander the streets alone."_

_"What does that mean-"_ But he'd hung up.

...

During his most recent exchange with his new enemy, one of his various weapons had become lodged in Peter's thigh, meaning that he was left unable to fight back. If it had been the lizard, that would have meant that Peter would have ended up a pile of mangled limbs in an alleyway. But this guy didn't seem to want to kill Spiderman. Not today, at least.

Instead he chose to check his phone when it started ringing, giving Peter a good chance to look at him. His face was hidden behind a green mask, with a pointed nose and ears, eyes that looked wild and crazy and mouth turned up in a permanent smirk. The purple came from his clothing, all of it looking like it had been made haphazardly. Various weapons decorated his abdomen, all of them having been thrown at Spiderman at some point over the past 72 hours, most of them missing him by millimetres, all of them looking way more technical than Peter's own webbing contraption.

_"Sorry about this."_ The green man motions to his phone, before pressing a button and calling someone. Peter attempts to move his leg a little, desperate to get away from where he's precariously perched on someone's fire escape, and cries out at the pain, causing his nemesis to glide over (because he has a glider, of _course._). There's a fist and suddenly Peter is struggling to remain conscious.

_"Not gonna use your gadgets this time?" _He mumbled, lips feeling thick and too big for his face. This is the closest Peter's ever come to death around this guy, and he's not going to go down without sassing him first.

He's not sure what the reaction would have been, because the person he's trying to reach picks up and the man's whole demeanour changes. He chuckles, sounding happy and light instead of manic and evil. _"Afraid not. I figured it was only polite to return your call?"_

And that's when it all clicks for Peter. How could he have been so dumb? His mouth tries to speak but he can't, body already drifting. But his brain is working double time. The reason the punch affected him so much is because of that ring on the man's hand - probably some sort of poison. The reason the man has it out for Spiderman is because Spiderman caused the death of his father (though not on purpose). The reason he only appeared on the radar a few days ago was because he was only made a few days ago. Before then he was a normal teenage boy, with normal human problems.

But not once does his brain think about the consequences of this, the consequences of this person being after him and almost definitely knowing Peter's true identity. That is, until the next sentences slip out of Harry's mask-clad mouth. _"Hey, shut up. I'll send the car over right now. Unlike your boyfriend, I'm not going to let you wander the streets alone." _And then the manic eyes lit up, and a laughing sound echoed around the buildings they were between.

Peter's stomach dropped, his heart thudding double time and all the blood running from his face.

Oh shit.

He was after Gwen.

...


	12. Chapter 12

The thing that brings Peter back into consciousness is the feeling of somebody tugging on his mask. And within 5 milliseconds he's jumped up and away from the pulling, which came from a curious person leaning out of their window. His brain catches up in about 3 seconds and, leaving the poor owner of the fire escape behind (probably in shock), he swings towards Harry Osborn's house, feeling like the biggest fool.

Of course it was Harry, how could he not see? And how could he think that keeping Gwen away for a few days would save her? The Osborn kid had obviously created this enhanced version of himself at Oscorp the other night, probably having planned it for months before - or at least an Osborn had. The effect seemed way too precise, way too particular, for it to have just been a lucky guess.

Damnit, why hadn't he been smart and warned Gwen? Why hadn't he told her what was going on so she could be safe? Why hadn't he kept his promise to her father and just let them lead their different lives? Why had he been so selfish?

Now she was in serious danger, all because he'd been stupid.

...

_"Peter Parker, I don't care what you're doing. You get home right this second - I cooked you a graduation meal especially for tomorrow." _Aunt May wasn't happy, and she'd rung about 20 million times.

**G - Please tell me you're okay. - P x**

**P - I'm fine. You coming over tonight? - G x**

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Peter halted his travels and turned back. One hour and he'd reveal to Gwen about Harry. He'd reveal to everyone and everything would be okay. He could still solve this without upsetting his Aunt.

He could.

He would.

...

**P - Mom's forcing me to have a long discussion with her about graduation and you and things like that. Probably best if you don't come over. I'll see you tomorrow. - G**

There was still a chance that Harry didn't know Spider-man's identity. There was a chance that he had just been lucky with his attacks. There was a chance that he only knew that Gwen had a crush on the masked vigilante, and that's why Harry had focused his attention on her. It could be that Harry was completely in love with Gwen, and that's why she had spent the afternoon there.

There were a multitude of reasons that meant Gwen would be safe. But Peter refused to accept any of them, jumping out of his seat the moment Aunt May had swallowed her last bite of meatloaf (even though it wasn't Peter's favourite, they had to have it at least once a week and they shared a sad smile over Uncle Ben each time) and running out of the house.

Luckily he'd managed to heal himself before he got home - whatever had coated Harry's weapons hadn't had much of a lasting effect. So now he was back to full strength, which meant it only took his usual 2 minutes 30 seconds to get to his girlfriend's. And, just like he had done months ago, before they had gotten together and when he was still desperately trying to stay away from her, he perched on her fire escape and waited to see her face.

He didn't have to wait very long, as moments later she wandered it with a thunderous look on her face and tears streaming down her face. The second she locked eyes with him her expression changed completely. Not that that was new, usually she grinned at him or looked happy. This time, she just looked sad, resigned to something.

_"I told you not to come over, Peter." _She didn't even bother with the pleasantries as she opened the window, and she didn't even open it enough for him to slip in like he usually did.

_"I hadn't seen you in ages... and I wanted to..."_ He tried to be all sweet, tried to bring a smile to her face, but it didn't work.

_"Well maybe I didn't want to see you. Maybe my mother found out about you and I'm trying to act like I'm going to dump you. Maybe I've had a tiring day and maybe, just maybe, I'm going to see you first thing tomorrow and I wanted to get an early night tonight."_ She snapped, refusing to look at him and instead finding the floor much more interesting. She was back to being angry, though he didn't want to believe that it was actually his fault.

_"I'll see you tomorrow, then..."_ He mumbled, hoping that she might try to convince him to stay. But that didn't happen and he was forced to leave.

At least she was okay, that was something. At least Harry hadn't harmed a hair on her head.

...

_"You're just doing this to please your Mom, right?" _He wondered how on earth he managed to get those words out without stumbling, how he managed to stay upright when his whole world was crumbling, how on earth he managed to hold onto his control when he was practically clutching at straws. All because of a few sentences.

Harry hadn't been at the graduation ceremony - thank goodness, Peter wouldn't be able to stop himself from punching the guy. Gwen had shown up, with her mother and brothers, and smiled in Peter's direction. He knew that she wouldn't bring her family over- that was risky business in such a public place. Aunt May had waved back, before messing up Peter's hair, claiming that she was sorting it out. He'd received his diploma, listened to the various speeches (he felt a little sorry for Gwen - she'd tried so hard to become valedictorian), and thrown his cap up in the air with everybody else.

And then he'd been talking to a few of his classmates when she'd asked to speak to him for a moment.

_"There's no easy way to say this." _She wasn't even looking at him, but her eyes were getting big like they always did when she cried. _"Peter, these past few months have been amazing and I've loved every second of it. And I will never tell anyone about your secret, you know I wouldn't put you in danger like that."_

That's when he'd realised what was going on. _"We can keep it secret - us, I mean. Or I can sit down with her and I can explain it. I'll explain that I never hurt your father, that it was lizard. I'll explain that I tried to keep away from you but I love you too much-"_

_"Peter, stop." _She broke in, putting her hand on his arm in what was supposed to be a reassuring gesture, but just made it all hurt even more. _"It isn't about my Mom. It isn't about anything except us. I don't-"_ Her voice wobbled, and she visibly swallowed.

_"Don't say it." _He whispered, tears now forming in his own eyes.

_"I don't love you anymore." _She exhaled, removing her hand from him and stepping back a little. _"I'm so sorry." _Was this happening? Was this some kind of nightmare? "_I'll send someone over to pick up my stuff."_ Peter's ears were ringing, was that a normal response? His ears were ringing and his eyes were blurring and his body was shaking - his whole body. _"Be safe, bug boy." _He thought he heard her sob before she walked away but that could just be his delusion.

Just like everything else.

...

He doesn't give up. In fact, he refuses to believe that she's just suddenly stopped feeling everything. Saying that she doesn't have those feelings once doesn't erase the times when she said she did. Whispered against his lips as they shared a kiss goodnight. Murmured as he kissed her forehead goodbye when she was half asleep. Shouted as a result of the exhilaration she felt when they swung across the city. Mentioned as part of everyday conversation.

Over and over she said it. That's why he's now waiting on her fire escape again. Waiting for her to come back and see him and tell him that earlier was just one stupid misunderstanding, that she had to make it seem convincing for her mother. Or something. Anything would make it all go away and he'd forget that the past few days had happened. He'd tell her about Harry (because of course Peter hadn't forgotten about him) and she'd let him protect her.

But it doesn't work out like that.

She walks in to the room, sees him but doesn't let that stop her from pulling someone into the room with her. Pulling that person in for a kiss, eyes locked with Peter as her lips move across someone else's.

He can't look away, not even when Harry ends the kiss with a smirk, mutters something. She tells him to shut up and they're kissing again.

The parallels might be the death of him.

...


	13. Chapter 13

When Peter was younger, he had an imaginary friend. This imaginary friend had the same voice as his father, but a face reminiscent of the photos of his Uncle Ben from when they were teenagers. Whenever Peter was terrified (and 7 year old Peter Parker was terrified of a lot of things), his imaginary friend would be there to calm him down, to tell him to "chill out" and not freak out so much, to tell him that everything would be okay if he would just calm it for a second.

Of course this imaginary friend went away, never to be seen again, around the time Peter started middle school. He was way too mature, too grown up, to need such childish things. He had learnt to cope with things on his own (even though he had been doing so in a roundabout way since his parents left), without running to his uncle or his aunt... or anyone, really.

But now, with the body lying at his feet...

Now, staring down at something that, just a few moments ago, was full of life...

Now, knowing that this was _all his fault..._

He would've done anything to have that figment of his imagination back.

...

For about 3 months after the "break-up," Peter wallowed. Aunt May was forced to leave his meals outside his bedroom door because he refused to go downstairs. He didn't see sunlight, and his Spiderman costume was left to gather dust at the bottom of his closet. Everywhere he looked he saw a place that Gwen had been, a place where they had kissed or touched or just been with each other. But when he closed his eyes and tried to find solace in the darkness, his brain played _that kiss_ in a loop: over and over and over, he saw the girl he loved kiss the guy who was trying to kill him.

He wondered if Harry never cared about avenging his father, if the whole thing was just a ploy to get Peter out of the way so he could have Gwen for himself.

Well if that were the case, it had definitely worked. Peter wasn't going to fight for Gwen if she was happier with someone else. He wasn't going to fight for someone who was inevitably going to leave the city as soon as the autumn leaves came, or for someone who had broken his heart so cruelly and unnecessarily. He wasn't going to fight for anything. Or anyone.

...

He'd always wanted to go to NYU. Their photography programme was one of the best, and ever since he picked up his first disposable camera and played about with it, he'd wanted to never let go of it. He found comfort in viewing certain things through a lens, and he could waste hours playing with layers and colours and filters to make the picture just right. Sometimes, when he went to bed at night as a teenager, he wondered if he could be a skateboarding photogra-scientist, or if there was some way to perfectly balance all of his passions.

Since becoming Spiderman, however, his passions had all been pushed aside. Skateboarding wasn't quite as fun now that there was no risk of falling off and getting a scar to show for his efforts (and why would he skate anywhere when he could just swing?). Science had become risky seeing as his attempts at serious genetics had got people he cared about hurt (so he stuck to the pure basics, not drifting beyond the syllabus, much to the dismay of his teachers). And photography? It was hard to think about photos when no camera could show everything that he could see. Besides, it was too risky - if he lost the camera while swinging and somebody found it? That was his identity revealed - it had happened with the lizard before...

And so it came to the fall, and Peter was still hurting from the break up. Aunt May had, many times, tried to drag him out, and even when she succeeded he was so dull and numb that it wasn't enjoyable for either of them. But somehow Peter remembered the date of his induction (he hadn't found the effort to apply for a room to stay), and about a week before he began the arduous task of learning how to take good photos again.

It was difficult, considering people shots were his forte (pictures of certain blondes with long legs, to be specific), and now he couldn't deal with people. He started trying to capture Aunt May in her element, but gave up. Scenery would have to do.

He still refused to get out his costume from where it lay at the bottom of his closet, instead choosing the more conspicuous balaclava and hat combo. He spent whole days at the tops of buildings, capturing the sunrise, the sunset, and all the images in between. He'd spend the nights working on developing them, determined to be good at this and prove to himself that he was more than just the masked vigilante.

...

_"Peter Parker, you're the last person I ever thought I'd see here..."_ He vaguely recognises the voice as he struggles to make his way to where he needs to be. Maps never seemed to help, did they?

The voice ended up coming from Mary Jane Watson, one of Harry's old flings. He couldn't remember how long they'd dated, who had broken up with who, or when they had even been together, but the association was enough just to make his stomach turn. So he didn't engage in conversation, turning his frown back to the piece of paper.

_"Look, I know Harry isn't your favourite person in the world. I know that him and I were together, but... I'm not anything to do with him. And from the looks of it, you're lost." _She snatched the map out of his hand, deciphered the scribbles of names and times and nodded. _"Luckily for you, one of my exes went here and I know the way. Come on, I'll help you." _When he didn't follow, she frowned back at him. _"I don't bite, Peter. Well..." _Out came her tongue. _"Not unless you want me to."_

Peter didn't really have a choice in the matter, considering she was holding his only source of information. So he sighed, already shuffling after her.

...

Mary Jane was quick. Not speed wise, but wit wise. She was constantly coming up with comebacks to his comments, and they had the same kind of humour. In fact, he found himself wanting to spend a lot of time around her, though at first he would deny it strongly. For the few weeks after induction, every time he saw her he would turn around and walk the other way, even if he knew she'd seen him. Why she wanted to spend time with him, he had no idea (though it probably had something to do with the fact that she had gone from the girl who was infamous to the girl that nobody had even heard of). She made him forget about the hurt of the summer, the hopes and dreams that he had had of spending whole lives with one girl. No longer did he exist in darkness, his nights were dreamless and full of deep, wonderful slumber.

But of course he couldn't avoid the subject forever, and eventually the topic came up. _"So I heard from Harry the other day..." _Mary Jane began, having spent about 5 minutes trying to start the sentence.

Peter didn't reply and just let her say whatever she was going to say, heart already constricting at the thought of hearing her name again.

_"Did you know that Gwen came to NYU too? She could've gone anywhere in the world..."_

_"But she wanted to stay close to her family." _Peter finished MJ's sentence, already having had this conversation with Gwen months ago, way back when they were applying to places and worrying about their future. Or, she was worrying about her future. Peter only bothered applying to NYU because going anywhere else would be pointless. And the blonde wasn't the only one who wanted to stay close to her family.

_"Yeah." _Peter received a weird look from his now-best friend, practically, but she let it go for a moment. _"Anyway, it turns out that she dropped out to work at Oscorp full time." _His head snapped up in shock. The Gwen that he knew, that he was in love with- had been in love with (because who knew what his feelings were doing if he refused to give them the time of day?) - would never have dropped out. Not in a million years, not for the best job in the world, and especially not for a job at the company that caused the death of her father.

_"What exactly happened between you and G-" _MJ didn't even get to finish her sentence before Peter was running off, determined to solve this mystery and praying that the feeling in his gut was very, very wrong.

...

For the first time in 5 months, Peter decided to don his Spiderman costume. It felt wrong at first, like trying to be that person that he was during high school. But then he remembered how much he enjoyed swinging through the air, feeling like he was above real life. The views had changed over the past few months, buildings having been pulled down and rebuilt, but the feeling remained the same.

Getting to Gwen's building took longer than it should've, considering that he couldn't stop himself from saving a few people. He supposed that need to be a good person had never gone away. But when he got there, perched on her fire escape and peeking in through the window, he didn't know what he was looking for. Some sign that Harry treated her badly, that he was a control freak who had forced her to quit NYU... something that could justify Peter going to the Osborn's and punching Harry's lights out, like he had been wanting to do for a very long time.

Instead he found things exactly as they'd always been, right down to the pictures in the frames. He was pleased (ecstatic, even) to note that there were no shots of Harry and Gwen, or even Harry on his own, yet there was still the shot taken back when Peter and Gwen were together, of her sticking her tongue out at him... right before he threw his phone down and tickled her relentlessly.

He was just remembering that time, lost in his own memories, when the door opened... and in she walked.

Yeah, he was still very much in love with her.

...

She notices him. Of course she does, he's hardly being subtle. And, without a moment's hesitation, he's holding up his arm to swing away. This was a bad idea. He's proving himself to be a creepy ex boyfriend with no knowledge of boundaries. All he's done is stir up old feelings when she's obviously okay. She changed after high school, that's what people do. She changed, and NYU stopped being something she wanted.

But Gwen stops him but pulling the window up, grabbing his arm and asking him to wait. _"Peter." _Her eyes filled up with tears and that's all it took to convince him to stay. Yes, this was one of the worst ideas he had ever had, but she wasn't telling him to get out. So he slid in through the open window, finding himself in the room that had brought so many happy memories... and the bad.

_"I..." _He stumbled on his words, before deciding that the mask was too restricting and he pulled it off. The tears then started falling down Gwen's face and he had no idea what was going on but if she was crying... she didn't deserve to. So he hugged her, and relished in the realisation that she was still _his_ Gwen. She still smelt the same, her body felt the same pressed against his, her arms were still heaven as they wrapped around him hesitantly.

_"We should talk." _She decided, and he smiled a little. Decisive as always, even if he really didn't want to discuss what had become of them. However, he would still do anything to make her happy, so his wants were pushed aside. He stepped back a little, resting himself against the glass and looking at her expectantly.

_"I'm sorry."_ She began, and Peter could tell that she'd rehearsed this many times. His heart leapt... she still thought about him. _"I shouldn't have broken up with you in such a public place. I shouldn't have kissed Harry-"_ his stomach lurched _"- when I knew you were watching. I should've contacted you like your Aunt asked me to."_

_"Wait, what?" _He managed his first full words of the exchange. Aunt May had contacted Gwen?

_"She told me you weren't doing too well. You weren't even coming out of your room and she was scared for you. And because of stupid reasons, because I felt so guilty, I hid from you. And everybody noticed that Spiderman wasn't around and I knew that if something happened to the city... it would be all my fault."_

_"Your boyfriend would've been there to stop whatever it was." _He pointed out, though his tone was harsher than he wanted it to be, proven by the fact that his ex recoiled.

_"What if my boyfriend was the person to cause it?" _She shot back, immediately looking like she wished she could swallow those words back. And then Peter started to question exactly how much she knew. But by the looks of it, he wasn't going to get that information easily. _"Peter, I love you- loved you." _ She amended her statement quickly, but not before Peter could stop himself from grinning. _"Oh, shut up." _ She stuck her tongue out at him and then, out of nowhere, they started laughing.

It was just what they needed, a refreshing wave to stop the awkwardness that was forming - the awkwardness that was normal for two people who went through a break up. _"Why are you here, anyway?" _She asked when the chuckling faded away, and Peter was reminded of his reasoning. He had a mini internal debate with himself over whether it was right to mention it, considering that she seemed fine...

_"MJ mentioned that you'd dropped out of NYU."_ he couldn't help but notice the slight shock on her face when he said his friend's name. Then he wondered how much she knew - was she aware of their friendship? Did she even care?

_"I just decided it wasn't for me, anymore." _She was shutting herself off, he realised. And shut off was something that Gwen had rarely been with him, especially if nothing was wrong.

_"You told me that you were going to quit Oscorp, go to NYU and you'd intern at somewhere else." _She refused to look at him, the playful nature of just a few minutes ago gone. Something inside Peter snapped. This was the girl who had broken his heart, forced him into that dark hole of depression he hadn't been near since Uncle Ben died, she'd got with his sworn enemy and yet, when she completely changed her entire plan of the future, he wasn't allowed to care about her? He wasn't allowed to worry?_ "Now that you're fucking the boss, I guess things are different?" _

_"Go fuck yourself, Peter. You have no idea." _Her voice was scornful as she carried on staring at the carpeted floor.

_"No. I don't. All I know is that one day you loved me and we were going to spend the rest of our lives together, and the next day you're kissing Harry and breaking up with me. What the Hell happened to you?" _

_"Maybe I got sick of the danger. Maybe I got tired of being scared." _

_"And being with Harry makes you feel safe?" _He refused to believe that.

_"No. But it makes me feel like you-" _Gwen forced herself to stop talking but Peter added up the pieces. So she did know about that time on the rooftop, the time when Harry could've killed Spider-man, but was stopped from doing so by her phone call. It was probably never because she didn't love him anymore. In fact, he'd guess that she still had those exact same feelings...

_"I can look after myself, Gwen. I can protect you, too. If you'd let me." _He stepped forward, hand reaching up to pull gently on her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. She didn't freeze, she didn't stop him, not even when he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.

...

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long since I updated you guys, I lost all my TASM inspiration. But what do you guys think? Did the glimpse of the future give you an idea to what's coming? Did it make you want to keep reading? R & R please!**


	14. Chapter 14

_"Are you a complete idiot, Peter Parker?" _MJ strides into his room with a confidence that only she can have, and an anger that only comes from a heart that cares. Peter's mind jumps to conclusion - she knows about the kiss. But then he decides that's ridiculous, because how could she know about something that happened behind closed doors?_ "You're not going to deny it?" _With a thwack her hand made connection with the back of his head. For somebody who didn't have any super powers, she sure could hit hard.

_"It would help if I knew what I was supposed to be denying..." _He muttered, rubbing where it hurt and looking like a petulant child who had just been scolded.

_"... and I'd spent all these years thinking you were a nerd." _Seeing as he was completely oblivious to what he had caused, MJ knew she had to enlighten him. _"Harry called me up this morning, demanding to know where you had been all evening. Apparently his girlfriend wasn't around to answer any of his phone calls..." _And now Peter looked guilty. _"I told you that stuff in secret, to get you to see that Gwen was moving on with her life and you didn't have to hold onto it anymore!" _

_"I had to see her. And Harry can't control who she spends time with." _He had no right.

_"Look, just promise me that nothing happened between you two. That way Harry can be reassured that he has nothing to worry about." _There was a pause. A long pause. _"You're an idiot, Peter. Harry is the kind of guy who will see multiple girls at one time, but if any of them start to stray..."_ The sentence was left unended, but Peter got the implication. _"Be more careful."_

_"You don't think I'm aware of what kind of guy Harry is? He's threatened me before."_ He'd actually done more than threaten, but MJ needed to stay in the dark about that. _"But I love her."_

_"Of course you do." _MJ got a funny expression on her face that Peter couldn't fathom, but before he could ask she was storming out of the house. He groaned, knowing that she could do some serious collateral damage if she was in the right mood. But he had more important things to worry about. Like how he was going to get Gwen to end things with Harry.

**G - Maybe next time I come over we should be a bit more subtle. Your boyfriend isn't happy. - P**

**P - who says there's going to BE a next time? - G**

**G - The fact that you love me is a pretty big indication. Break up with him, he's not right for you. - P**

**P - And you are? - G**

**G - I don't even have to answer that. You know the truth. - P x**

...

The whole thing went on for a few weeks. Gwen and Peter would text for a couple of hours a day, see each other once every couple of days (and though he tried, no more making out happened), and every conversation, every time they spent together, would end with "break up with your boyfriend." But it had yet to happen, for a reason that Peter hadn't quite worked out.

She didn't love him, but did she feel pity for him? Was she worried he would go off the rails and attack everyone? Peter had returned, albeit part time, to his job as masked vigilante, and besides from the usual car thieves and robbers, the city had been quiet. The mask that Harry had been hiding behind had been returned to whatever depths it came from, along with his plans to rule Oscorp and get on the public's good side. All that did was make Peter think there was something that Gwen had never told him.

And he could hardly complain (though he did want to), seeing as she was still in the dark about MJ. MJ who, now that Gwen was making her way back into his life, seemed to be drifting from him. Every time the blonde came up in conversation she would get that weird look on her face and try to change the subject.

Eventually one day, when they were hanging out, he took the risk and asked her why. _"Because, Peter, I don't think you two are good for each other. You were on again, off again for months-" _Peter opened his mouth to claim that she was full of second standards, but she continued before he could interrupt. _"And I know what that's like. It's messy and it never works out. You two broke up the first time for a reason." _He was then bombarded with memories of that time on the rooftop, of what was definitely one of the worst nights of his life (beaten only by the night that Uncle Ben died, the night that his parents deserted him without any reason why, and the night that he discovered they had died). And MJ _let_ him wallow in his thoughts. Damn girl knew exactly how to get him to feel what she thought he should. _"The second time, she broke up with you for a reason. Why she did it on graduation day in the middle of a public space, I have no idea. But there's gotta be a good reason." _

He knew she was right.

_"Peter, you know I care about you. You know that I'm really glad to have you in my life, but you're a closed off person. You never let anyone really in, and if that's her fault... then I have a feeling that the only reason you're not letting go is because you don't know if you'll get that again." _

She knew she was right.

_"Now let's stop being disgustingly deep and meaningful and watch something crappy on the TV. We need a bit of drone to even all this out." _

Maybe that was why Gwen had never broken it off with Harry. Because she knew that Peter wasn't right for her. But Gwen had never been the type to need a man...

He barely had time to switch his mind off before his phone vibrated in his pocket. He didn't even have to look at it to know that it would be Gwen, but even MJ next to him on the couch couldn't stop him from seeing what she had to say.

**P - I did it. I broke up with him. I'm hanging out on the bridge, come meet me. - G**

His heart leapt and he jumped up, forcing MJ to look at him in despair. _"Peter..."_ She sighed.

_"Maybe we're making a big mistake. But at least it's our mistake to make." _He grabbed his Spidey backpack (knowing that she would want to go to the place where they liked to go and knowing that MJ was still very much in the dark about his secret identity) and raced out the door, all worries about their relationship and its future already far, far away.

...

_"Gwen." _He perched himself on the bars and held out his hand for her, while being very impressed with himself for not pulling off his mask and kissing her senseless right at that moment. She was looking gorgeous, the light breeze ruffling her hair, a short skirt and not showing enough of those legs, but wearing those boots that liked to drive him crazy. He _loved _her. And she loved him. And that would be enough for everyone.

_"You should go, Peter." _She burst out, and that's when Peter looked at her face. Her makeup was smudged, her eyes red, like she had been crying, and she wasn't returning his gaze, eyes searching anywhere but him.

_"What's going on, Gwen? You texted me..." _

_"I-"_ She barely managed a syllable before she disappeared before his very eyes. He yelled after her, before catching a glimpse of green and purple. His stomach dropped. This had all been Harry.

_"I trust you know what I want, Peter Parker!" _A voice echoes across the bridge, strangely empty for this time of day. Probably all part of Harry's elaborate scheme... He doesn't hesitate from following the source of that noise to where this evil is stood on the top of one of the towers. _"Your existence has been a source of agony to me. You murdered my father, you tried to break up my relationship, you near enough ruined my source of income..." _Funny how that's the order of importance, Peter thinks. Also only one of them were true, but Peter wasn't going to engage him in hashing up the past or each other's wrongs. _"So I want you to leave this world. Permanently." _Peter prayed that Gwen was okay, considering she seemed to be silent. As was he, though apparently his "or what" had been broadcast from his brain cells. _"Or Gwen dies..." _

Harry's head must've been a weird place at that moment. There he was, complaining that Peter had tried to break them up, yet he was willing to kill her to "avenge" his father.

_"I was fine with you attacking me. In fact, that was much better than you going after someone who couldn't handle it. But when you start threatening my girl, that's when the gloves are off!" _He was only a few metres away from the guy now. He could see the weird deformed mask of his, the glider that was way more advanced than anything he had ever seen before, and Gwen, lying on the floor. But her body wasn't in a weird position, so he assumed that she wasn't seriously hurt. And he wasn't going to let that happen.

_"Hmm, how chivalrous of you. Shame that A) she's not your girl anymore, and B) you won't be around to enact it!" _Out came the weapons, each of them flying towards Peter at a speed that would have a normal person pinned against the nearest wall, blood pouring out of places. Luckily, he managed to get out of the way, the various metal pieces instead hitting his web, making him slightly off balance.

The next few minutes are a blur, full of dodging and shooting and nothing that Peter can't handle. But all the time his mind is on Gwen, which makes him sloppy. The sensible thing would be to grab Gwen and get as far away as possible from this, but he can't stop to think about how to do that. He's just trying to get close enough to Harry to use fist to fist combat. It's what he's best at.

Eventually the opportunity comes, and he throws everything into that punch. Every time he's thought about Gwen with him, every sleepless night after the break up, every time Harry has hurt him or her, everything. And it works.

The bastard is pushed off his glider with the force, and Harry pulls himself up to where Gwen is, grabs her (though gently - he doesn't know if she's hurt yet), holds up his arm to shoot a string of web, and-

_"You're an idiot, Parker. She's doomed, and you might as well just follow her!" _How Harry isn't on the road right now, body a mess of broken and shattered bones, is beyond him. All he knows is that the punch is returned.

And his grip on Gwen loosens.

And gravity does it's thing.

And she's falling.

Falling.

Falling.

...

**A/N: Let's be honest, I was inspired after the new onset pics. I AM NOT READY FOR THIS. What about you guys? Who's dreading TASM 2 and the now-undeniable plot? **

**R & R as always. Last chapter (probably) coming up soon!**


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